Dear Editor,
The recent meeting at State House would have benefited from prior planning, prior reviews and the implementation of a structured project review process. The good intentions of all those involved would have been better served and a resolution to the problems mentioned during the meeting would have been better addressed without safety risks being created by having rushed projects in order to prevent black listing and fines.
CRG suggests that the President have individual meetings with each of his ministers, and have him or her present a status report on the overall project portfolio and the key projects under his or her responsibility. The contractors with projects which are at risk should then be given the opportunity to provide the Minister with the reasons for the delays and an associated recovery action plan and project plan. For the contractors which have several projects across multiple ministries that are at risk, a deeper dive should be made into their capacity and capabilities in order to determine where a reduction in their assigned projects should occur. The overall approach to the project management concerns should be collaborative and done via working sessions.
It would also be prudent for the government to reexamine the overall portfolio of national projects and adjust the annual project calendar to allow for the local capacity to not be exceeded. As previously suggested on a number of occasions, the capacity of the construction/ building inspectors should be the key resource that determines what is manageable. Resource planning and capacity management cannot be overstated as key considerations when the annual national project plan is being developed. Available funds should not be the only main consideration when developing the budget for annual projects. Without taking this broader approach the risk is that many projects will be outsourced to overseas firms and our local construction capabilities will remain in its infancy.
Refocusing on quality over quantity will ensure that our nation’s development is done in a safe, responsible, efficient, effective and timely manner that will allow our local construction teams to mature into strong companies. Safety is mentioned first and should always be the first consideration for construction projects. It is better to have a project delayed to allow for good weather conditions and proper foundation setting to occur than to rush it and have safety risks in the future. This may not be the main factor in the current delays being experienced, but it is an example of what to avoid in the spirit of expediency. Only a well-structured project review process will uncover the underlying causes in a timely manner and allow for quick course correction.
Sincerely,
Jamil Changlee
Chairman
The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana