(CNS): The government is maintaining a veil of secrecy around the progress of the cruise berthing project, despite being very close to declaring a preferred bidder. Despite the massive public interest in what will be the biggest ever infrastructure project in Cayman Islands’ history, the tendering process has been far from transparent. CNS has learned that since pre-qualifying nine bidders, the ministry has narrowed down the potential bidders to just three and is favouring a local consortium headed by a well-known general contractor who is partnering with two cruise lines and a marine engineer.
CNS has submitted questions to the ministry and the new Central Procurement Office about the process but has received no response from either entity to any questions, even though the project has moved forward over the last few weeks.
Although the PPM government throughout the last administration had insisted the project would be transparent, the details of the pre-qualification period, the bidders that were invited to submit what has been described as “outline solutions”, and the more recent re-assessment to narrow the field to only three potential bidders have not been posted on the new procurement website. It is understood, however, that China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), which was one of the nine pre-qualified bidders, has been eliminated.
Sources have told CNS that government is very close to announcing the consortium that it favours to begin the controversial project, although the public still has no idea about the costs and design or any of the parameters of the project. The government has continued to pursue the goal to build piers in George Town Harbour regardless of opposition to the project. The significant environmental damage, the undefined costs to the public purse, the impact on existing infrastructure and attractions have led to opposition from across the community, including the tourism sector.
During the original public consultation those who took part in the survey came down three to one against the project but government has consistently ignored that result.
Opposition Leader Ezzard Miller, who is the chair of the Public Accounts Committee, has stated that “government seems hell-bent on this project” but it is refusing to give any details and is misleading the public about the need for the costly development.
“The public should have some idea of what we are getting,” Miller told CNS, as he questioned why there is so much secrecy. He said the opposition had made three verbal requests and two written requests for a presentation on the issue but he said there has been no responses to those requests.
He added that in addition to the secrecy of the process, he understood that the Port Authority had also been marginalised and was not involved as it should be in accordance with the law.
Miller said government needed to be investing in education and the criminal justice system instead of the cruise port because it was unnecessary. He also questioned the government’s justification for the project given recent news from the cruise industry that the next generation of mega-cruise ships can and are tendering.
“Government is deliberately misinforming the public,” Miller said, as he urged it to reconsider its priorities.
Kenneth Bryan, the independent MLA for George Town Central, the constituency where the development will take place, also noted the lack of transparency. Speaking to CNS, he stated that he, too, believes the public should be told what is going on.
Raising his concerns that the costs and potential environmental damage are causing the government to move the project forward behind closed doors, he said the silence was an indication that there “was obviously something to hide” because government appears to be choosing to avoid the process.
“There are far too many rumours circulating about what is or is not happening. The people in my constituency and nationally need to know what is going on,” he said.
The recent introduction of a Procurement Law and an office to oversee major capital projects has emerged out of a long history of questions surrounding major public development projects in Cayman and allegations of mismanagement and the appearance, if not the reality, of corruption. But as government makes plans to embark on the biggest public project to date, at a time when there are more checks and balances written into the system, the process is still shrouded in secrecy.
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The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has launched a Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Project in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), which will assist the country in recovering from the effects of Hurricane Irma. The Project, which was launched on April 10, 2018, will be funded through a USD65.3 million (mn) loan and a USD300,000 grant.
Speaking at the launch, Diana Wilson Patrick, General Counsel, CDB, noted that the Project is a further extension of CDB’s efforts to help BVI recover from the impact of the extreme weather event. In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Irma, the Bank provided an Emergency Relief Grant of USD200,000, and Immediate Response Loans totalling USD2.25 mn.
“It was with a sense of some pride that the management and staff of the Caribbean Development Bank were able to work with our counterparts in the Government of the Virgin Islands to have financing towards the proposed rehabilitation and reconstruction activities approved by the Bank’s Board of Directors on December 14, 2017. This was a mere three months after Hurricane Irma caused the loss of four lives and an estimated USD3.6 billion in damage to homes, schools, infrastructure, public administration and defence and several other sectors; disrupting the lives of the country’s men, women, boys and girls.”
Premier and Minister of Finance, Dr. The Honourable D. Orlando Smith said that the Project was timely, as it will assist with recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.
“It is time to get our livelihoods back on track. It is time for us to get on with the several projects and initiatives that are identified for each ministry in the loan agreement. And, it is time to weather proof our infrastructure and rebuild it in a way that offers some resiliency to unprecedented weather patterns.”
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The University of the West Indies’ Seismic Research Center (UWI-SRC), in collaboration with the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), recently launched a project to prepare communities to manage potential impacts of La Soufrière Volcano and related hazards.
The “Volcano-Ready Communities in St. Vincent and the Grenadines” project targets 12 towns and villages in the high-risk zones of La Soufrière. It specifically seeks to improve early warning and alert systems; train early response and risk assessment teams; develop a “Volcano-Ready” framework and toolkit for communities; and create public education and awareness materials to be shared with schools, businesses, and residents.
“We want to ensure that people here can live safely and resiliently and enjoy their lives, so that when bad things happen because of the environment that [they] won’t be knocked back as badly,” said Dr. Richard Robertson, Director of UWI-SRC.
He further explained, “When we speak about ‘Volcano-Ready communities’ we’re speaking about it in the context of a volcanic environment. Yes, the volcano erupts from time to time, but the very nature of the volcanic landscape is such that it poses certain hazards. For example, all of the loose material around is great for crops and farming, but it means that when rain comes, it strips off the materials and creates flash floods. When you have a storm, because the land falls away so quickly, storm surge comes in and damages the coastline. So, you’re really in a multi-hazard environment.”
Following successful completion of the project, St. Vincent and the Grenadines will be the first country in the Region to hold a “Volcano-Ready” designation.
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One of the frequently unspoken facts about projects are that they are riddled with risks. Accordingly, it is crucial that they be identified and managed in order to limit the damage they can cause to a project, which can range from requiring minor adjustments to be made, to the project having to be abandoned. Below are five tips that can help you get in front of those challenges.
1. Identify the risks as early as possible
In order to be prepared, and positioned to be proactive, try to identify as many risks as early as possible. It is recommended that a comprehensive list be made, and consultations be held with key stakeholders and resources to ensure that the list is as complete as possible. It should be noted that some of the risks should have been identified when responding to the tender or bid request; as frequently, it is highly beneficial to communicate how you and your team would manage some of the anticipated challenges.
2. Ensure all of the project team is involved
Although the project lead or project manager may have ultimate responsibility for risk management, all project team members should be aware of the risks, as their actions and omissions could exacerbate, or aid, a situation. The key to managing risk is being able to be proactive and strategic, which tends to be more likely to occur when there is a keen spirit of collaboration and collective responsibility among the project team to provide early warning of imminent challenges, and so limit the possible fallout.
3. Analyse and prioritise the risks
All risks are not created equal. A distinction could be made between those that could have major or significant consequences if they occur, along with the probability of a particular risk occurring in the first place. The analysis and prioritisation of all the risks compiled is crucial. However, a project does not exist in a vacuum. It is continually evolving, and correspondingly, the risks are also changing. As a result, it is recommended that the identified risks are regularly re-analysed and re-prioritised as needed, to ensure that they properly reflect the (current) challenges and threats to the project.
4. Develop and implement risk management strategy
In being proactive, it is possible to mitigate and even avoid some of the effects of the risks associated with executing a particular project. Hence, having identified and analysed those risks, it is recommended that strategies be developed, and implemented as appropriate, to manage them.
5. Keep all parties notified and updated
Finally, in addition to your team members, who should be regularly engaged on this matter, the client and other partners should also be made aware of the risks associated with the project, and advised should there be any new developments. Many clients are not fully aware of the challenges a Consultant or Vendor (of goods and/or services) can experience whilst executing their project. However, when they do rear their head, it may be necessary for the project implementation plan, or even the project scope, to be adjusted. Hence, having the cooperation and support of the client and other partners will be crucial, especially if a major change to the project is required.
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Ecorus Projects BV has been selected as preferred bidder in Saba Electric Company NV’s solar tender, according to a notice on Monday.
The company, which supplies electricity on the Saba island in the Dutch Caribbean, sought to award contracts for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of a photovoltaic (PV) park of at least 1 MW, and for its operation and maintenance (O&M) over 10 years.
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