Hanover Eastern MP expresses frustration with procurement process over road work
Jamaica
Member of Parliament for Hanover Eastern, Dave Brown, has expressed frustration with the procurement process which he has highlighted could leave projects in limbo for years while driving up cost.
Brown, who was making his contribution to the 2021/22 State of the Constituency Debate in the House of Representatives this week accepted that the guidelines outlined in the procurement process must be strictly adhered to and respected.
But, having listed several road projects that have been stalled, some for nearly four years, the second term MP said “…You would have recognised the recurring theme here. All these projects are said to be stuck in the procurement phase. The procurement process should not serve or create an impediment to work that is urgent”
“We must think of the time value of money and also the hundreds of lives that are impacted by delays due to procurement,” Brown told his colleagues.
He said tropical storms Elsa that impacted the island in July and Grace and Ida which followed in August, have made bad road conditions in his constituency worse.
“The passing of the named storms has caused further damage to the already horribly-deteriorated roads. Additional funding is now needed to have the roads fixed,” Brown said.
He shared that commitment was secured from the relevant authorities in 2017 to begin rehabilitation work from Hopewell to Cacoon Castle. The plan is to rehabilitate approximately 7,000 square metre of roadway.
Of course, for sustainability and to assure the integrity of the project, there is the plan to improve the existing drainage system and to construct retaining walls as required. The estimated cost is $60 million. This project is an imperative but it remains in the procurement phase,” Brown lamented.
He also pointed to the planned rehabilitation of the Chi-Chester to Golden Grove road which also went to tender in 2017. Brown said the bidding was aborted due to low tender and the National Works Agency has failed to provide an update on the project.
“The road is heavily traversed and is in fact the second most important road in Hanover Eastern,” he said.
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