Dear Editor,
In a letter which was published in SN on August 17, 2024, Dr. Asquith Rose listed therein five possible reasons for poor construction and sub-standard work which have been evident in completed infra-structure projects undertaken in Guyana. My comments herein relates to Govern-ment contracts since I have little knowledge of privately executed contracts in Guyana.
The Government’s Agency, “The National Procurement and Tender Board (NPTB)” is responsible for analyzing all major Government contracts before an award is recommended. NPTB takes many factors into consideration including the contractor’s bid, his experience, financial capability, etc., before a contract is recommended for an award. If these factors are not taken into consideration before an award is made, then the system lacks credibility and the Agency could be taken to Court for incompetence in executing its duties in accordance with its mandate.
After a contract is awarded its construction is monitored and supervised by a competent authority which recommends partial payments for work done in accordance with the drawings and specifications. Dr. Rose suggested that many contractors are the adjudicators for their work and therefore make their own assessment for the work they have done for partial payments and other requirements. This is so ridiculous that it is unbelievable.
Dr. Rose claimed that many of the bona-fide contractors with expertise perform poorly and provide sub-standard work. He cited roads being built with cracks appearing on many of them before the contract is completed. This may well be so but the cracks may have been due to other factors outside of the contractor’s responsibility such as poor design and insufficient material specified in the specification.
Finally, Dr. Rose is of the opinion that of the thousands of contractors registered in Guyana BK International Inc. is the best among them with superior equipment and vast experience to meet any complex challenge in the construction industry. Further, he claims that the Company has built hundreds of miles of roads and erected miles of sea defenses. Since the birth of the Republic, no contractor local or foreign has ever built hundreds of miles of roads and erected miles of sea defenses in Guyana.
Therefore, Dr. Rose should provide evidence as to where these works were done by BK International who have undertaken many large projects in Guyana but many were plagued with significant time and cost overruns which does not bode well for ‘a second to none contractor’ as Dr. Rose claims. It may well be that a company with such a record is being sidelined.
Sincerely,
Charles Sohan
