Public Infrastructure Ministry defends sole-sourcing of Demerara Bridge feasibility study consultancy; says ready for Procurement Commission probe
The Ministry of Public Infrastructure late Thursday night said it was forced to sole-source a Dutch consultancy company to conduct a feasibility study for the new Demerara River crossing after only one valid bid was submitted but exceeded the US$800,000 budget and concerns were raised about its technical level.
Reacting to a request by Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira for the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) to probe how The Netherlands-based LievenseCSO was awarded the (US$706,091) although that company was not among the 22 that had submitted expressions of interest, the Public Infrastructure Ministry said a decision was made to scrap the process in May following permission from the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) and the Ministry of Finance. Funding for the feasibility study was provided by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Government acknowledged that 22 firms expressed their interest, 12 of them were shortlisted but only two submitted bids, one of which was valid.
“Nonetheless, MPI continued to seek suitable consultants due to the significance of the project and the need for its realisation. The Ministry actively sought greatly qualified consultants worldwide. It was during engagements with various companies, including those in the Netherlands, the Dutch Risk Reduction (DRR) Team, and in England, the company, LievenseCSO, was recommended,” the government ministry said.
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