Following is the full statement he made today, first delivered on radio:
Fellow Citizens, Residents and Friends of Montserrat, wherever you may be, today, 18th July 2018, marks 23 years since the Soufriere Hill volcano erupted and changed the lives of Montserratians forever.
Montserrat has been changed, yes, but thank God, not destroyed; has been down but not out.
Solomon tells us that there is a time for everything under the sun, and I firmly believe that today is a time, not to forget the past, but to let it rest for the moment, a time for me to encourage you with some positive news about the present and the future. Therefore, I shall be focusing on a number of priority projects that my government has been working on to help transform our social and economic conditions.
First of all, is the Little Bay Breakwater and Port Development Project. I am pleased to report that we have now started the procurement process for certain consultancy and supervision contracts. You have already heard the advertisement on Radio Montserrat for a Project Coordinator. This means that we are well on the way to having our first breakwater and safe harbour, the first ever safe harbour in the history of the island.
What does this mean?
It means having the capability to dock cruise vessels, luxury yachts, cargo vessels and the ferry at the same time. It means no more waiting for cement, flour or sugar because boats can’t dock. It means no more being stranded on the ferry 100 yards off Montserrat’s shore because of rough seas.
It means jobs for taxi drivers, artists, craftsmen and everyone involved in tourism. It means larger vessels and therefore cheaper freight, which should in turn have a positive impact on prices for everyone.
Then there is the Montserrat Subsea Fibre Project, which is now fully supported by DfID. We are at the stage of finalizing the tender documents with the aim of issuing an Invitation to tender within the next month, completing the evaluation of bids by the end of September and hopefully issuing a contract by the end of October.
And if everything goes according to plan, the system should Go Live by August 2019. The days of phone calls being cut because of the internet being too slow, the frustrations of trying, in vain, to watch a video online – all this will be history.
A high-speed connection will also allow us to make history as we set up the first Digi Beach to encourage tech startups in the Caribbean. My administration has already started to embrace the future of blockchain and cash being digital as we welcomed BITT to our shores.
Regarding the Geothermal Project, which has the potential to provide Montserrat with abundant, clean, renewable energy at a reasonable cost, two wells have already been dug. The completion of the third well is under negotiation between DFID and IDC drilling company. The early market engagement for the surface plant was completed and evaluated and the report is being reviewed.
We are still in active negotiations with the British Government for the completion of this project, as well as that of the new hospital.
On a smaller scale, just under two million dollars was awarded by the end of June 2018, the first quarter of this financial year, for contracts on small capital projects such as:
- the canopy cover works to the ferry terminal expansion & warehouse roof repair project,
- Margetson Home – design & build contract,
- supply of base material & aggregate
- the New Windward Sewage Facility design & build contract,
- Supply of textbooks for the public schools in Montserrat and
- the breaking down and removal of the temporary wood & steel buildings on the Government Headquarters compound.
Further, other small capital projects are being prepared for procurement. This will include Major Roof works and railing for Block C at the Brades Primary School, and other maintenance works to include resurfacing of Basketball courts, fencing and painting of school plants, etc.
And let us not overlook the countless small projects that have been completed or are underway, particularly in education, health and the environment. To name just a few…
… more
Image: RonnyK (Pixabay)
Read more
The revised but still controversial parking meter contract is back with Cabinet which has decided to refer the document to a sub-committee, amid ongoing concerns by several sections of Georgetown, Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan said Saturday.
He said Cabinet on Tuesday- June 12, 2018- decided that a Cabinet sub-committee made of the ministries of communities, finance, legal affairs public infrastructure and business “to further address the concerns that have been submitted” by, among others, the Georgetown Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Guyana Bar Association, Ashton Chase and Associates and sections of government.
Bulkan said the Cabinet sub-committee would review the revised contract to “see if Cabinet is comfortable and all of the concerns that have been expressed are taken into account” in the revised contract. City Councillors had agreed to revise and renegotiate the contract between the Municipal Government and Smart City Solutions.
The Local Government Minister, at the same time, remarked that the sub-committee’s work might automatically collapse if the High Court rules that the metered parking contract should have been offered for public tender. “The argument of the Council in those proceedings has been that it is a concession that has been granted and not a contract for the procurement of goods. The Court will make a determination on that and if it is adverse to the Council, then it may negate the contract and hence any consideration,” he said.
The High Court is likely to hand down its ruling on metered parking in the coming weeks.
No deadline has been set by which the Cabinet sub-committee should complete consideration of the revised contract but the Minister was confident that the Cabinet sub-committee would complete its work long in advance of Local Government Elections scheduled for during the last quarter of 2018.
Government is not opposed to “the concept” of metered parking in Georgetown to help restore order to the “chaotic streets” but , according to the Minister of Local Government, there are a number of requirements. “There are concerns on the part of Central government that first and foremost any rates must not be burdensome, that the contract must be equitable- that the contract must not be disproportionate to the concessionaire, that certain other special considerations are taken on board-namely certain areas will be off-limits to paid parking so these concerns and issues will be carefully considered by that Cabinet sub-committee,” Bulkan said. On January 17, 2018 Councillors agreed that the new rate would be GY$150 per hour or GY$800 per hour.
… more
Image: ehendel (Pixabay)
Read more
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Senate, on Friday, passed the Public Procurement (Amendment) Act 2018, which seeks to regulate the procurement of goods, works and services by entities of Government.
The legislation, which was piloted by Leader of Government Business and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith was passed with three changes.
Opening the debate, Johnson Smith said that public procurement can no longer be treated as a routine clerical function within a ministry or department, noting that today’s procurement environment is anything but routine.
“It requires an understanding of dynamic markets, ever-changing technologies and modern purchasing methods. Furthermore, in addition to national regulatory requirements, we have to ensure compliance with international obligations in trade, labour, the environment and in the mitigation of corruption,” she pointed out.
She noted that Government procurement accounts for a substantial part of the economy, at about 30 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), and therefore a modern regime is needed that ensures value for money.
“We must ensure that the processes are fair and transparent in the use of tax payers money,” she stressed.
The amendments will better enable Jamaica to meet the objectives of the principal law, aimed at introducing a modern procurement system with clear rules, and the necessary institutional base to ensure equity, fairness, transparency and efficiency.
The Act, passed in 2015, seeks to, among other things, enhance the potential for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to compete for Government contracts; increase the efficiency of public entities in delivering timely services, thereby increasing public confidence in Government; harmonise documentation; and allow for electronic submission of bids.
… more
Image: freestocks.org (Pexels)
Read more
ANGUILLA–On the last day of Lord Ahmad’s visit to Anguilla a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed with Chief Minister Victor Banks. It sets out the processes for the 60 million pound sterling grant that will be spent over the next three years.
This will enable the first six projects relating to the refurbishment of critical national infrastructure, including Princess Alexandra Hospital and two primary schools, to move forward. The procurement process for these projects has already started via the commissioning of structural drawings and drafting of tender documents so the Ministries of Infrastructure and of Health and The Health Authority of Anguilla will be in a position to start the projects very quickly.Lord Ahmad said he was enriched by his experience in Anguilla and grateful for the time spent on his visit. “Thank you for the warmth of the hospitality given me and the rest of the team, and I look forward to working with you in a progressive, constructive, collaborative and collective way to make Anguilla an even stronger, successful and progressive country than it already is.”
Source
Image: Cytonn Photography (Pexels)
Read more
Two energy projects in the Caribbean island pen funding agreements, underscoring appetite for renewable power sources
Two renewable energy project developers in the Dominican Republic advanced financing plans this week, securing debt for solar and wind-powered projects on the Caribbean island.
Taiwanese General Energy Solutions, or GES, secured $38m in 15-year debt from development banks DEG and FMO, according to a source familiar with the project.
Proceeds the German and Dutch development agencies will be on-lent to the renewable power developer’s local subsidiary Electronic JRC, which will use proceeds to increase capacity of the Monte Plata solar plant to 69 MW from 30 MW.
The original 30 MW was commissioned back in September 2016.
Monte Plata comes with a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Dominican Republic’s state-backed Corporacion Dominicana de Empresas Electricas Estatales (CDEEE). Power will be injected into the Sistema Electrico Nacional Interconectado (SENI) grid.
Roughly $53m will go towards the total expansion of the plant, according to the same source, and once Monte Plata is operational, it will serve as the largest solar photovoltaic project in the Caribbean.
German engineer Soventix, through its regional subsidiary Soventix Caribbean, is the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services contractor, while Jimenez Cruz Peña was legal advisor to GES.
Meanwhile, in the island’s Monte Cristi province, IC Power DR Operations, the Dominican subsidiary of Inkia Energy, netted a 4.5-year $73.5m loan from Citi.
Bermuda-based unit Inkia Americas Ltd. is guaranteeing the facility, which will go towards developing the 50 MW Agua Clara wind farm, a source close to this transaction said.
Agua Clara has a 20-year PPA with CDEEE and includes a clause to increase the plant’s capacity to 200 MW in later development phases. The first phase of the project costs about $87m and commercial operations are slated to start in May 2019.
Sister companies Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and Gamesa Dominicana are providing EPC services for the project.
Jimenez Cruz Peña was legal advisor to Citi on Dominican law, while Milbank provided counsel to the bank on US law. Squire Patton Boggs acted as local counsel to IC Power DR Operations and Inkia Americas Ltd. and White & Case lent US counsel.
New York private equity firm I Squared Capital bought Inkia Energy from Singapore-domiciled Kenon Holdings for $1.17bn last November. Based out of Peru, Inkia Energy owns and develops conventional and renewable power generation facilities across Latin America.
(Source)
Image: Pixabay (Pexels)
Read more
