Guyana
Guyana Power and Light has awarded work for utility-scale solar capacity and associated battery energy storage program Guysol.
The winner of the 18-month contract was a consortium of Chinese companies Sumec and XJ Group, procurement information shows.
BNamericas previously reported that eight groups had submitted offers in the call for eight plants in three lots and a combined 33MWp. The tender was launched in December 2022.
The joint venture picked up lots two and three to build the infrastructure in the areas of Linden and Essequibo, specifically, five plants for lot two (US$19.3mn) and energy storage for lot three (US$18.6mn). Additional information was not disclosed.
Funds from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation and administered by IDB are being used to finance Guysol, project summaries for which were released by Guyana’s Environmental Protection Agency in November.
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Guyana
In a significant move aimed at bolstering the capabilities of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the Guyana Government has inked a Line of Credit (LOC) Agreement worth US $23.27 million with the Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank) for the procurement of two aircraft.
“Government is investing heavily in strengthening the capabilities of the GDF, in particular, in some of its specialised wings, such as the Air Corps and the Coast Guard,” asserted a statement released by the Guyana government.
This investment underscores New Delhi’s commitment to modernising and equipping the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) for evolving security challenges in the region. The agreement also marks India’s continued commitment to bolstering Guyana Defence Force (GDF) capabilities, stemming from President Irfan Ali’s 2023 visit to India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
The procurement agreement was signed between Ashni Singh, Senior Minister in the Office of the President of Guyana, and Sanjay Lamba, Deputy General Manager of the Line of Credit Group at Indian EXIM Bank last week.
The ceremony was attended by the High Commissioner of India to Guyana, Dr. Amit Telang, Chief of Staff of the GDF, Brigadier Omar Khan, and Chief Planning Officer, Dr. Tarachand Balgobin.
The acquisition of two aircraft under this agreement marks the largest-ever investment in the capitalisation of the force, signifying a pivotal moment in Guyana’s defence modernisation efforts. This strategic move aligns with the broader cooperation between the two nations, as evidenced by the $100 million line of credit extended to Guyana during the visit of Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar.
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Trinidad and Tobago
The National Infrastructure Development Company Limited (NIDCO) is warning the public to watch out for fraudulent procurement transactions.
In a release, the company said is charged with the responsibility for carrying out the procurement of goods, services and works on behalf of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.
To fulfil this mandate, NIDCO issues notices of tenders via its website and national newspapers, ensuring its procurement activities are executed in a transparent, ethical and effective manner.
The public is advised of the following:
1. The signing of contracts for NIDCO’s projects only takes place in person within NIDCO’s Offices, overseen by a representative from NIDCO’s Legal Department. Therefore, the signing of any contract outside of NIDCO’s offices is fraudulent and not authorised by NIDCO.
2. The collection of cheques only takes place within NIDCO’s Offices, overseen by a representative of NIDCO’s Finance Department. The collection of cheques outside of NIDCO’s Offices from any individual, whether purporting to be an officer or agent of NIDCO, is fraudulent and not authorised by NIDCO.
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Guyana
A feud between social media personality, Mikhail Rodrigues and businessman, Azruddin Mohamed over finances could bring an end to the controversial award of the $865m Belle Vue pump station which had come under attack by opposition MPs.
On social media yesterday, Mohamed disclosed that the contract of the Tepui Group Inc to build a wharf at Lot 49 Parker Street, Providence, East Bank Demerara was terminated as a result of $60 million being owed to him by Rodrigues also known as “Guyanese Critic”.
The Tepui Group, in which Rodrigues is a principal, had been awarded the massive contract by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) for the Belle Vue pump station despite complaints that it was unqualified and did not have the wherewithal for it.
Mohamed related to the Sunday Stabroek that Rodrigues had borrowed money from him for the construction of the wharf but never paid him back.
“He owes me sixty million Guyana dollars, I lend him money so that he can build this wharf at Providence on the East Bank and up to now he cannot account for the sixty million dollars which is loaned him”, Mohamed related.
The businessman said that the social media commentator had also purchased an excavator from his company Mohamed’s Enterprise in the year 2022 which was eventually “confiscated” as a result of Rodrigues failing to pay the full amount for the machinery.
Mohamed also noted that Rodrigues has an outstanding loan of $20 million to purchase equipment for a business venture.
The businessman said that he would be taking legal action against Rodrigues.
Rodrigues yesterday morning during his programme on social media admitted that he indeed purchased an excavator from the Mohameds but decided to return it after his friendship with the family became toxic.
He said that he decided to return the excavator to the businessman as he “wanted nothing to do with him”.
As a result of cutting ties with the businessman, Rodrigues said that he took it upon himself to purchase new equipment to commence works at the wharf and pump station.
Against the backdrop of the debt being owed to the Mohamed family, by Rodrigues, the Sunday Stabroek learnt that works on the Belle Vue Pump station couldn’t commence as Tepui doesn’t have the requisite finance and contracting experience to conduct such works.
APNU+AFC Members of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul and David Patterson have argued for months that the contract awardee did not meet the standard evaluation criteria for bidders.
Patterson when contacted yesterday said that now that the truth has been revealed on social media that the Tepui Group Inc. was in no financial position to conduct works on the pump station and was inexperienced as it relates to contracting services, the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) should now re-examine the matter as it relates to the $865 million contract awarded by the NPTAB to the said company.
The former Minister of Public Works had strongly criticized the PPC over what he sees as its inaction over the investigation into the award of a pump station contract to Tepui.
He had said for months that the contract did not meet the requirement for the award as the company was formed in August 2022.
Since October last year, the Alliance For Change Member has been pressing the PPC to probe the matter.
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Jamaica
Raymond McIntyre, chairman of the Public Procurement Commission, recused himself from deliberations involving the ZDA contract issues, the commission said.
The Cabinet last year approved a $15-billion emergency contract to a Chinese firm for the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) rehabilitation project despite Jamaica’s chief procurement agency saying the health ministry led an “irregular” process.
But the ministry has strongly rejected the Public Procurement Commission’s (PPC) assertion, insisting that the contract to ZDA Construction Limited was awarded in accordance with the country’s procurement laws and guidelines.
The concerns link the ministry allegedly bypassing the PPC to get Cabinet’s approval to enter into direct contracting. That method meant that the multibillion-dollar contract was not subject to a competitive process.
There are also questions of why the ministry later asked the PPC for its endorsement on a process already approved by the Cabinet, and why the Cabinet did not get the PPC’s position first, as it did in many previous cases.
It is the latest development in the saga of the restoration of the primary healthcare facility in western Jamaica. It started in 2016 with concerns about noxious fumes, followed by the relocation of services, shifting deadlines, ballooning budgets, and problems with contractors.
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