Local contractors will not be excluded from SPARK – Morgan
Jamaica
ocal contractors are being assured that they will not be excluded from the procurement process under the Government’s $40 billion Shared Prosperity Through Accelerated Improvement (SPARK) programme.
The initiative seeks to rehabilitate several of the island’s roadways.
Recently, the Incorporated Masterbuilders’ Association of Jamaica (IMAJ) raised serious concerns that local contractors would be unable to meet the requirements to participate in the programme.
At last week’s post-Cabinet press briefing, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation with responsibility for works, Robert Morgan, noted the concerns of the local contractors.
“I met with the Incorporated Masterbuilders’ Association and we had very positive conversations, and I assured them that a part of the procurement process will ensure that local contractors are an essential part of the SPARK programme execution,” Morgan said.
But in an update on the move to execute the project, Morgan revealed that no local construction company has been successful at the pre-qualification stage in the bidding process so far, despite two local entities responding.
Eight construction companies responded, and of the eight, two were local.
“So far, five international companies have been successful at the pre-qualification stage, and this week we will be sending out bid proposals to those five pre-qualified enterprise construction companies,” Morgan informed.
Also, he noted that the proposals will be for the international companies “to bid on the four packages that are across the island”.
It is expected that those bid proposals will be returned by mid-August, after which approval is to be sought from the Public Procurement Commission and Cabinet to award contracts by the end of September of this year, Morgan shared.
He added that, “These contracts will be for two years, with an additional year for defects, liability, as well as where the contractor will be carrying out corrective measures if there are challenges with the completed works.”
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