{"id":31533,"date":"2023-12-07T23:50:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-08T04:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev?p=31533"},"modified":"2023-12-07T18:55:24","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T23:55:24","slug":"ppc-probing-complaint-over-belle-vue-pump-station-award-patterson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/ppc-probing-complaint-over-belle-vue-pump-station-award-patterson\/","title":{"rendered":"PPC probing complaint over Belle Vue pump station award \u2013 Patterson"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guyana<\/p>\n

Former Public Works Minister David Patterson yesterday said that the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) has said that it has launched a probe into the contentious $865 million Belle Vue, West Bank Demerara, pump station contract awarded to the Tepui Group.<\/p>\n

The APNU+AFC MP told Stabroek News that this response came from the commission\u2019s acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mervyn Chung amid concerns raised over the issuance of the contract.<\/p>\n

According to Patterson, the ball is now in the court of the PPC, as accountability must take its course.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI got a response from the acting (CEO)\u00a0 to my letter which outlined the flaws and he said an immediate investigation is underway\u201d, Patterson told this newspaper.<\/p>\n

\u201cA contract for the construction of a Pump Station at Belle Vue, West Bank Demerara, Region #3, was awarded to Tepui Group Inc. on August 14, 2023, the procuring entity was the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, Ministry of Agriculture, I write seeking an investigation into the award of this contract on the basis that the Contractor was not eligible for the award,\u201d Patterson said in a letter to the PPC recently.<\/p>\n

He contended that the contractor, Tepui Group Inc., was not eligible for the award since it does not have the requisite experience stipulated in the bid documents, that is, successful completion of projects similar in nature and size within the last three years. Tepui Group was formed in August 2022.<\/p>\n

Like Patterson, Opposition MP Ganesh Mahipaul said that the contracting company did not meet the bidding criteria.<\/p>\n

This newspaper also reported that former Auditor General Anand Goolsarran opined that the contract awarded to Tepui Group was flawed, as not only should the company have been disqualified for not meeting the bidding criteria but the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) erred when it lumped two other contracts to the award.<\/p>\n

Goolsarran explained that from his analysis, \u201cthere has been a violation of the Procurement Act as regards the award of the contract for the construction of sluice\/pump station at Belle View as well as the other two pump stations at Meten-Meer-Zorg and Jimbo.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs regards the Belle Vue pump station, the system appeared to have been manipulated to facilitate the award of the contract to Tepui Group Inc,\u201d Goolsarran said<\/p>\n

According to the bidding documents for the project which were opened on June 27 this year, and seen by this publication\u00a0\u00a0 the project was for a pump station at Belle Vue on the West Bank of Demerara. The engineer\u2019s estimate was also for that project alone, so NPTAB still has to explain how three awards were handed out from among the same bidders when it was not a project divided into lots.<\/p>\n

In response to a public advertisement last May for the construction of the sluice and pump station at Belle Vue, there were 26 bids. The highest bidder was Nabi Construction Inc. with a bid price of $1,181, 867,183 while the lowest bidder was Gavco Construction & Supplies Inc. with a bid price of $740,584,800. Tepui Group\u2019s bid was $865,543,500. Seventeen other bidders had bid prices lower than that of Tepui. The Engineer\u2019s Estimate was $779,198,584.<\/p>\n

Following Patterson\u2019s disclosure of the letter to the PPC, the NPTAB issued a statement defending the award, contending that: (I) 13 of the 26 bids were deemed non-responsive and were therefore not considered; (ii) the lowest and second lowest responsive bidders were awarded the contracts for the construction of the pump stations at Meten-Meer-Zorg and Jimbo, respectively; and (iii) Tepui was the third lowest responsive bidder and was awarded the contract for the construction of the pump station at Belle Vue.<\/p>\n

more<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Image: pexels-pixabay-208661-<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guyana Former Public Works Minister David Patterson yesterday said that the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) has said that it has launched a probe into the contentious $865 million Belle Vue,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1091,"featured_media":31534,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[250],"tags":[244,116],"class_list":["post-31533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-articles","tag-electricity-energy","tag-guyana"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/pexels-pixabay-208661-scaled-e1701993214538.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6u9Qa-8cB","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":33040,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/agri-minister-says-works-underway-on-pump-station-controversially-awarded-to-tepui\/","url_meta":{"origin":31533,"position":0},"title":"Agri Minister says works underway on pump station controversially awarded to Tepui","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"March 7, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Guyana \u2013 despite serious complaint before procurement commission Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha on Wednesday announced that works had started on January 30th on the Belle Vue Pump station controversially awarded to the company, Tepui despite the fact that serious complaints have been made about its ineligibility for the task. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/pexels-connor-forsyth-3971795-scaled-e1709849392312.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/pexels-connor-forsyth-3971795-scaled-e1709849392312.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/pexels-connor-forsyth-3971795-scaled-e1709849392312.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/pexels-connor-forsyth-3971795-scaled-e1709849392312.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":38110,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/ndia-still-to-update-procurement-commission-on-tepui-pump-station-contract\/","url_meta":{"origin":31533,"position":1},"title":"NDIA still to update procurement commission on Tepui pump station contract","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"January 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Guyana More than a month later, the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) is still to be updated by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) on the progress of the Belle Vue pump station which was controversially awarded to Tepui Inc. A visit by the Sunday Stabroek to the site yesterday\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/pexels-aleks-marinkovic-5213545.jpg?fit=1024%2C674&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/pexels-aleks-marinkovic-5213545.jpg?fit=1024%2C674&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/pexels-aleks-marinkovic-5213545.jpg?fit=1024%2C674&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/pexels-aleks-marinkovic-5213545.jpg?fit=1024%2C674&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36947,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/opposition-calls-for-probe-of-nptab-procurement-system\/","url_meta":{"origin":31533,"position":2},"title":"Opposition calls for probe of NPTAB, procurement system","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"November 1, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Guyana The opposition APNU+AFC yesterday called for a probe of the national tender board and the procurement system in the wake of the scandalous award of the Belle Vue Pump Station contract to Tepui Inc. In a statement, it said that the findings of the Public Procurement Com-mission (PPC) on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/pexels-dariabuntaria-2678104-scaled-e1721583477683.jpg?fit=1024%2C679&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/pexels-dariabuntaria-2678104-scaled-e1721583477683.jpg?fit=1024%2C679&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/pexels-dariabuntaria-2678104-scaled-e1721583477683.jpg?fit=1024%2C679&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/pexels-dariabuntaria-2678104-scaled-e1721583477683.jpg?fit=1024%2C679&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":33767,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/feud-between-critic-mohamed-could-spell-end-of-controversial-pump-station-contract\/","url_meta":{"origin":31533,"position":3},"title":"Feud between `Critic\u2019, Mohamed could spell end of controversial pump station contract","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"April 18, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/pexels-introspectivedsgn-9216590-scaled-e1713481531966.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/pexels-introspectivedsgn-9216590-scaled-e1713481531966.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/pexels-introspectivedsgn-9216590-scaled-e1713481531966.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/pexels-introspectivedsgn-9216590-scaled-e1713481531966.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 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"Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pexels-sora-shimazaki-5668858-scaled-e1699564529399.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pexels-sora-shimazaki-5668858-scaled-e1699564529399.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pexels-sora-shimazaki-5668858-scaled-e1699564529399.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pexels-sora-shimazaki-5668858-scaled-e1699564529399.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 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