Trinidad and Tobago
President of the Trinidad and Tobago Contractors Association, Glenn Mahabirsingh, said yesterday that the body would be renewing its call for contractor licensing and registration legislation in the new year.
In an interview with Guardian Media, Mahabirsingh said the policy will help further regulate the industry by protecting individuals and businesses from losing their money to unqualified contractors.
Mahabirsingh said more than ten years after initial work began on a policy to regulate the industry, no further action has been taken.
He maintained that the public will benefit significantly from the legislation, arguing, “One of the activities for the association for 2024, and it is not a simple task, will be to revitalise the efforts or work that was done about ten years ago relating to registration, licensing and contractors.
“The association sees this legislation or policy on the registration and licensing of contractors as an important tool to manage the industry in terms of ensuring persons who are engaged in the industry are able to deliver.”
Meanwhile, Mahabirsingh hailed this year’s proclamation of the procurement legislation as a major boost for operations in the sector as well as its sustainability.
“This procurement legislation definitely is a positive for the industry. We have already seen fruits of the legislation such as the annual procurement plan being published by the ministries, which can be used by contractors to plan their proposed works for 2024.”
On December 8, the Ministry of Finance published the annual schedule of planned procurement activities for fiscal 2024 on its website.
The schedule includes the proposed date for the issue of bidding documents, the estimated delivery or completion date, the procurement method, the standstill period and the contract type.
The Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act was fully proclaimed in April. It aims to reform the procurement laws of Trinidad and Tobago in keeping with the principles of good governance, such as accountability, transparency, integrity and value for money.
Former deputy permanent secretary (Ag) and permanent secretary (Ag), Beverly Khan was appointed as the procurement regulator and chair of the Procurement Board of Trinidad and Tobago, on June 28, 2023 for a period of five years.
Khan leads a board that comprises: deputy chair, chartered accountant, Robby Bhola, and members Joy Abdul-Mohan; Natasha Ashby; Frederick Bowen; Nadine Bushell; David Charlerie; Herdis Lee Chee; Dr. Anthony Lamb and Tracey Rojas.
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Jamaica
MOUNT SALEM, St James — Project manager for the multi-billion-dollar upgrading of the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) Vivian Gordon says completion is set for 2026 — a year later than the deadline last provided by Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton.
Gordon provided the information during a tour of the hospital, on Tuesday, by Care for Cornwall Regional, a group of business interests within Montego Bay that shadows and oversees activities on the long-overdue project.
According to Gordon, the project is currently in its third phase, which started this month and should end next March. This phase includes occupation and equipment procurement. He added that stage two, which will be completed within 30 months, includes design, build and installation of additional equipment. He said contractors had wanted another 36 months to complete the project but eventually agreed to 30.
Tufton and the Andrew Holness-led Administration have taken a battering for the lengthy delays in completing the project. In July, Tufton said phased reopening would start by mid-2024 and the project completed by March 2025. However, the health minister has grown wary of providing deadlines as they have so frequently been missed.
On Tuesday, asked to comment on the deadline provided by the project manager, he stuck to that script.
“I stopped giving timelines long ago because we have had adjustments to timelines that I can’t justify on the basis of giving a timeline because a lot has changed in terms of scope. And what I’ve said to the populace is that the scope has substantially changed. We are building a new hospital, and therefore the timelines will change,” he told the Jamaica Observer.
The health minister also stressed that the facility will be in use before 2026.
“I know you’re stuck on the 30 months, but what you need to do is look at the fact that it is going to be phased in. So, we will start using the building sometime next year, and it will continue until we totally complete it,” he added.
Meanwhile, co-chair of Care for Cornwall Regional Brian Jardim expressed overall satisfaction with the work being done at CRH.
“We’re happy with what we saw today. Clearly, there’s a lot of work left to be done. Clearly, there was a lot of work to be done [in the first place]. The building had a lot of endemic issues with mould and moisture and, you know, it is a 50-odd-year-old building,” he told reporters
“We went from the basement right through the various floors of the building to see the work that has happened and is continuing to happen to get the facility up and running again. It can’t happen soon enough,” Jardim added.
Established five years ago, Care for Cornwall Regional also provides assistance when possible — either on a commercial level, by providing expertise or raising funds to be used in purchasing equipment for the health facility.
Jardim said Tuesday’s tour was aimed at getting a clear understanding of when the facility will be up and running at full capacity.
“The minister gave us an excellent presentation on next steps and we’ve witnessed quite a transformation on the way, including the existing Cornwall Regional building and the new children’s hospital that’s being built, courtesy of the Government of China,” he stated.
“We understand there’s another two to two-and-a-half year window. We’re looking at probably a 2026 completion turnkey… As Western Jamaicans, it’s a very critical part of our existence, both our team members, our families, our friends, to have a properly functioning medical care facility as the city grows,” the businessman added.
Jardim also spoke of the importance of maintenance, going forward.
“We got some assurances from the minister today, and we’re going to hold him accountable to it, that there will be a proper-running parallel company that manages the processes and the equipment and the maintenance of the building. This is like maintaining a very large hotel complex. It’s a lot of moving parts. He mentioned there’ll be, at certain times, up to 3,000 staff members in this facility [Cornwall Regional Hospital and Western Children Adolescent Hospital combined] — 700-odd beds. It’ll be the most beds on any hospital campus in the Caribbean. So, it’s not a small task. It’s not a small job and we, as members of the business community and as members of Care for Cornwall, we take it pretty seriously. We all need to shadow and give the help that we can to make sure that maintenance continues once it’s handed over,” argued Jardim.
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United States Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands Department of Labor (VIDOL) is excited to announce a significant milestone with the 35th Legislature approving the measure that paves the way to move forward with acquiring ownership of its current building on St. Thomas. This move, transitioning the location into a government-owned building, stands as a crucial development among the prevailing financial challenges faced by the Government of the Virgin Islands.
The Department of Labor extends appreciation to the senators of the 35th Legislature for their steadfast dedication and pivotal role in facilitating this strategic purchase. Special acknowledgment goes to Sen. Angel L. Bolques Jr., the sponsor of the bill, who demonstrated a clear understanding of its importance and substantial benefits.
“We commend all of the senators of the 35th Legislature for their thorough due diligence. Their careful consideration reflects their commitment to the well-being of our community,” said Labor Commissioner Gary Molloy.
Also, Commissioner Molloy, on behalf of VIDOL, expresses sincere gratitude for the cooperation, patience and support received from the landlords and their families throughout the entire process.
This successful acquisition of ownership, transforming the location into a government building, underscores the department’s commitment to a stable future. The achievement is a result of collaborative efforts from the senators, Office of the Governor, Office of Management and Budget, Department of Property and Procurement, Department of Finance, and the entire Virgin Islands Department of Labor team.
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Guyana
A nearly $100m vessel for the fisheries department of the Ministry of Agriculture has not been in use since 2020 as the personnel needed are not available.
This was the explanation given by the Ministry of Agriculture in the 2022 Report of the Office of the Auditor General which was tabled in parliament two Mondays ago.
The audit office report said that a contract was awarded by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board in December 2018 in the sum of $99.3m. Amounts totalling $98.5m were paid on the contract as at December 31, 2020 and the vessel was received in April 2020.
“…however, at the time of reporting it was not put into use”, the audit office said. When asked for an explanation, the Head of the Budget Agency said that the Fisheries Department has indicated that the marine vessel “has not been operationalized as yet due to the lack of skilled personnel”.
The audit office recommended that the ministry take steps to recruit the relevant personnel.
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Guyana
Several schools built with funds from Region Four have shown severe defects according to the Auditor General’s report for 2022 which was laid in the National Assembly on Monday.
The report said that a contract for construction of the Vryheid’s Lust South Nursery School was awarded on May 10, 2022 by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) in the sum of $31m.
The contract was signed on June 2nd 2022 with a start date of June 10, 2022 and a completion date of December 23, 2022. The full amount was paid to the contractor.
Physical verification on July 27, 2023 showed that the works were substantially completed but defective and poor quality works were in evidence.
Areas on the ceiling showed visible signs of moisture in the ceiling, there was “shoddy” painting and poor work around window sills prior to painting.
The head of the budget agency said that corrective works would be done.
The audit office recommended that the regional administration should carefully inspect all completed works and should not accept poor quality and sub-standard work.
Similarly, a contract for the construction of the Haslington Nursery School was awarded on May 10th 2022 by NPTAB in the sum of $26m. The contract was signed on June 2, 2022 with a commencement date of June 10, 2022 and a completion date of 23rd December, 2022. As at December 31st, 2022 the full amount had been paid to the contractor.
Physical verification on July 27, 2023 showed that works were substantially completed but there was poor-quality work.
Again, the ceiling showed signs of moisture, there was shoddy painting and poor work on the window sills.
A contract for the construction of a new wing at Diamond Secondary School was awarded by the NPTAB in the sum of $69.8m. The contract was sealed on June 2nd, 2022 with a start date of June 10, 2022 and completion date of November 20222. At December 31st, amounts totalling $62.8m had been paid to the contractor.
The report said that physical verification on July 28th, 2023 revealed that the works were incomplete and the contractor was not on site. It was observed that electrical, furnishing, plumbing and painting works were all incomplete. The contractual completion date was November 30, 2022. At July 28th, 2023, eight months beyond the date, the works remain incomplete and there has been no approved extension of time. The head of the budget agency said that works are currently ongoing. The Office of the Auditor General’s response was that the regional administration should ensure that all works are carefully inspected.
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