{"id":37188,"date":"2024-11-14T23:00:54","date_gmt":"2024-11-15T04:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev?p=37188"},"modified":"2024-11-14T15:09:57","modified_gmt":"2024-11-14T20:09:57","slug":"the-tepui-contract-and-corruption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/the-tepui-contract-and-corruption\/","title":{"rendered":"The Tepui contract and corruption"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guyana<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Whenever challenged about its longstanding nemesis, corruption, the preferred refrain from the ruling PPP\/C is always for the claimant to present the evidence. That ruse has been employed as the PPP\/C has been well aware that such evidence is difficult to come by and that many who could speak are too spineless or intimidated. Forty-four months into the life of this administration evidence is certainly now available in the report of the Public Procurement Commission\u2019s (PPC) summary of findings based on a complaint lodged by APNU+AFC Member of Parliament David Patterson.<\/p>\n

It has taken six months for the PPC\u00a0 to complete its task but its Summary of Findings, Tender No. 166\/2023\/21 should be required reading for President Irfaan Ali.\u00a0\u00a0 In it he will find stark evidence of how the evaluation committee of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB)\u00a0 violated many of the guidelines attached to the invitation for bids for the Belle Vue Pump Station so that the award could be made to Tepui Inc, one of whose principals is Mikhail Rodrigues better known as Guyanese Critic.<\/p>\n

Tepui was required to have had the experience of having completed one project of a similar nature within the past five years. Similar projects, the relevant guideline said,\u00a0 \u201cshall include pump stations, sluices and drainage structures\u201d. Having been incorporated less than a year before, Tepui did not have these qualifications, yet the evaluation committee of the NPTAB found its bid to be responsive.<\/p>\n

The summary of findings said that Tepui itself submitted as part of its tender, a letter addressed to the procuring agency, National Drainage and Irrigation Authority dated June 13th, 2023, under the hand of \u201cWinston Martindale, Director\u201d\u00a0 captioned \u201cRecord of Past Work Experience\u201d in which it stated \u2013 \u201cOur company was registered in August 2022 and has now commenced the process of bidding for projects, hence we do not have any past work experience but our team of personnel have years of experience under upgrading and rehabilitation of roads as indicated on their respective resumes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tepui also did not provide a bank line of credit. It provided a line of credit issued by Puran Bros. Later a letter of credit issued by Caricom General Insurance Company\u00a0 appeared but this also was ineligible.<\/p>\n

Tepui did not submit \u2013 as required \u2013 an audited financial statement as it was not in existence for a year.<\/p>\n

In terms of equipment requirements, Tepui, the summary of findings said, did not show evidence of three pieces of equipment. It also fell short of its bid security requirement.<\/p>\n

In any other well-ordered jurisdiction, Tepui\u2019s bid would be immediately ruled out. One wonders how that bid was let in but many others rejected.<\/p>\n

Why would an evaluation committee of the NPTAB favour Tepui and Mr Rodrigues? That answer probably lies in the fact that Mr Rodrigues has presented himself to the public as somebody well-connected to the government and perhaps the government wants him to have a contract. In several editorials and news items about the farcical award of the pump station contract to Tepui\u00a0\u00a0 this newspaper has pointed out Mr Rodrigues\u2019 ease of access to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and other signs of his connectedness to officialdom. So if an evaluation committee improperly favoured Mr Rodrigues it would likely be on signals from those in authority.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

In its response to the PPC\u2019s questions, the NPTAB also introduced the artifice of \u201cleniency\u201d in consideration of bids in utter contravention of the extant guidelines.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe decisions regarding bid evaluation were consistent with past practices, where leniency was extended to bidders lacking direct pump station construction experience but demonstrating proficiency in similar projects\u201d, said the NPTAB which then added most unbelievably, \u201cUpholding principles of fairness, transparency, and accountability, NPTAB assures of its commitment to maintaining integrity and professionalism in procurement processes\u201d.<\/p>\n

No further evidence is needed of corruption under this government as it relates to the massive public expenditure programme that is administrated by the NPTAB. There should be a criminal investigation of the conduct of the evaluation committee, an immediate pulling of the files associated with this tender so that the police can probe the circumstances under which other bids were disallowed and the board of the NPTAB and its senior leadership should be removed immediately, a task that would be left to the President and\/or the Ministry of Finance. Needless to say, the Tepui contract should be immediately cancelled.<\/p>\n

It was not only Tepui that was favourably looked at even though unqualified. The NPTAB had the gumption to advise the PPC that a precedent had been set by the award of similar pump station contracts to others who also did not have the requisite experience.\u00a0 It cited the construction of a pump station at Devonshire Castle, Region Two which was awarded to Samaroo Investments and the Den Amstel pump station in Region Three to JR Ranch Inc. J\/V GSK Excavation Services.\u00a0 The Pouderoyen pump station also falls into this category although there was no mention of this by the NPTAB.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0<\/p>\n

image Corruption-money<\/p>\n

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

Guyana \u00a0 Whenever challenged about its longstanding nemesis, corruption, the preferred refrain from the ruling PPP\/C is always for the claimant to present the evidence. That ruse has been employed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1091,"featured_media":26459,"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":[121,116],"class_list":["post-37188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-articles","tag-caribbean","tag-guyana"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Corruption-money-fraudMarco-Verch-Professional-Photographer-flickr.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6u9Qa-9FO","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":36947,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/opposition-calls-for-probe-of-nptab-procurement-system\/","url_meta":{"origin":37188,"position":0},"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":37184,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/the-dereliction-of-the-public-procurement-commission\/","url_meta":{"origin":37188,"position":1},"title":"The dereliction of the Public Procurement Commission","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"November 14, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Guyana \u00a0 Can it possibly be the case that the historic constitutional reforms of over two decades ago conceived of a Public Procurement Commission (PPC) that would be toothless? Is it conceivable that upon examining a hopelessly flawed tender that the PPC would do nothing about an improperly awarded contract\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\/2018\/08\/Contract-agreement-signature-Pixabay-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Contract-agreement-signature-Pixabay-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Contract-agreement-signature-Pixabay-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Contract-agreement-signature-Pixabay-Pexels.jpeg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5436,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/legal-political-showdown-jagdeo-harmon-say-govt-ppp-officials-to-face-more-criminal-charges\/","url_meta":{"origin":37188,"position":2},"title":"Legal-political showdown: Jagdeo, Harmon say govt, PPP officials to face more criminal charges","author":"Michele Marius","date":"May 4, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Even as the Guyana government slammed the People\u2019s Progressive Party\u2019s (PPP) filing of private criminal charges of misconduct in public office against two government ministers as an effort to distract the public from its record of corruption, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo said more charges would be filed against other ministers.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News\/Developments"","block_context":{"text":"News\/Developments","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/newsdevelopments\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Handcuffs-Trouble-Police-Arrest-Offender-3839153-Pixabay.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Handcuffs-Trouble-Police-Arrest-Offender-3839153-Pixabay.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Handcuffs-Trouble-Police-Arrest-Offender-3839153-Pixabay.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Handcuffs-Trouble-Police-Arrest-Offender-3839153-Pixabay.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17602,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/guyana-denies-claims-of-acquiring-covid-vaccines-from-shady-sources\/","url_meta":{"origin":37188,"position":3},"title":"Guyana denies claims of acquiring COVID vaccines from ‘shady’ sources","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"July 22, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) \u2014 The Guyana government has strongly denied acquiring vaccines to treat the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic from anyone facing legal troubles, insisting that its vaccination programme is aimed at saving the lives of all Guyanese. \u201cAt no time did Guyana procure vaccines from any illegal entity or anyone\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News\/Developments"","block_context":{"text":"News\/Developments","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/newsdevelopments\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20656,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/the-guardians-of-democracy-can-be-the-guardians-against-corruption\/","url_meta":{"origin":37188,"position":4},"title":"The guardians of democracy can be the guardians against corruption","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"February 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Guyana It is with great worry that, once again, the situation regarding Guy-ana\u2019s public procurement practices must once again be addressed and criticized. The entity in question is the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), whose members are in charge of all public procurement in the country. Since this\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\/2021\/05\/pexels-cqfavocat-613508-scaled-e1644524566827.jpg?fit=1025%2C684&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/pexels-cqfavocat-613508-scaled-e1644524566827.jpg?fit=1025%2C684&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/pexels-cqfavocat-613508-scaled-e1644524566827.jpg?fit=1025%2C684&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/pexels-cqfavocat-613508-scaled-e1644524566827.jpg?fit=1025%2C684&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16278,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/pac-invites-nominees-for-procurement-commission\/","url_meta":{"origin":37188,"position":5},"title":"PAC invites nominees for procurement commission","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"April 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Despite continuing contentions over its chairmanship, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has moved to seek nominees in order to reconstitute the Public Procurement Commission (PPC). During a virtual press conference on Thursday, Chairman of the PAC David Patterson said that at a meeting on Monday there was a unanimous agreement\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News\/Developments"","block_context":{"text":"News\/Developments","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/newsdevelopments\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Notice-Marker-Hand-Nick-Youngson-Alpha-Stock-Images.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Notice-Marker-Hand-Nick-Youngson-Alpha-Stock-Images.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Notice-Marker-Hand-Nick-Youngson-Alpha-Stock-Images.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Notice-Marker-Hand-Nick-Youngson-Alpha-Stock-Images.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1091"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37188"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37188\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37189,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37188\/revisions\/37189"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}