Latest update April 4th, 2025 6:13 AM
How NIS Berbice branch cost $69M …
• There was this $3M generator hut
-KNews willing to pay for a post construction audit
Amidst growing questions over the overpriced cost of constructing a Berbice branch of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), official documents provided by Government have now revealed that a staggering $2.6M was estimated for a small generator hut in the compound.
The figures were included in an official Engineer’s Estimate reportedly prepared by NIS on what it would cost to build the one-flat office at Corriverton and other works related to the construction. That generator hut was part of the works.
The generator hut, which is approximately 10 feet high, eight feet wide and eight feet long, consists of walls fashioned out of cement blocks, four steps, two handrails and a grill gate.
According to one engineer, it is unclear how the $2.6M figure for the generator hut was calculated since no general dimension of the structure was indicated in the Bill of Quantities which stated that the exact location and size of the hut was to be determined later on the work site.
Yet, in the same Engineer’s Estimate, the height of the hut’s columns was proposed to be 15 feet.
Another curiosity, said the engineer the newspaper spoke to, was that the sum of $144,000 provisioned for the pouring of roof slab, floor and platform slabs, stairs and an oil drain. Yet that very same Bill of Quantities contains a later item that provides a sum of $120,000 for the “construction of concrete stairs for the entrance to the generator hut.”
There are other curiosities and the newspaper has decided to publish that section of the Engineer’s Estimate that has to do with the generator hut as well as images of the completed structure so that readers may judge for themselves.
It will be recalled that following the announcement that the NIS branch cost $69M and the subsequent questions that arose, Kaieteur News published pictures of three homes which were built for staffers and which cost less than $7M each.
The newspaper had requested from Head of the Presidential Secretariat and NIS’ Chairman, Dr. Roger Luncheon, the details of the costs of that $69M facility.
Dr. Luncheon, in turn, requested that the newspaper provide the Bills of Quantities for these homes.
The newspaper and the Office of the President then exchanged documents with the latter providing the Engineer’s Estimate for the NIS Building.
On Tuesday, media workers including Kaieteur News Publisher Glenn Lall and Editor-in-Chief Adam Harris were both refused entry to that Corriverton branch.
The security on recognizing the newsmen immediately shut the gates and later disclosed that NIS’ General Manager, Doreen Nelson, had ordered that they be kept out.
The Branch Manager, Louise Bryan, was seen hiding at the back of the NIS building.
The Engineer’s Estimate for the entire project was $50,667,948. Based on this estimate, tenders later went out for local contracting firms to submit bids.
Government, who commissioned that Corriverton facility late last month, said that the completed structure cost NIS $69M.
According to Lall, in an effort to fulfill the newspaper’s mandate to keep the people of Guyana informed, Kaieteur News is seeking permission to carry out an onsite investigation as part of a post construction audit of the structure in order to have a better understanding of how the peoples’ money was spent, on this project.
In order to facilitate this post construction audit, the following data is being requested:
1. Copy of the engineering drawings.
2. Copy of the bid document of the contractor that won the bid and executed the project.
3. Copy of payment certificates detailing the work completed that was paid for.
The cost for this venture shall be funded completely by Kaieteur News if Government agrees.
Bill of Quantities for the generator hut at $69M NIS Corriverton building.
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9 thoughts on “How NIS Berbice branch cost $69M …”
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NIS is a SIN! A chicken coop built by Mr. NIS for Mother Hen and her chicks cost Mr. NIS’ contributors $69M. The hen and her chicks are suposed to lay eggs for Mr. NIS, who will then take the eggs to the contributors as returns on their investments. Mr. NIS is already running out of money, is having problems making sure enough contributors have enough eggs, and recently lost hundreds of millions of dollars when an insurance company invested NIS’ money overseas, far in excess of what the law allows insurance companies to invest overseas. Some people believe the money was invested in bigger fowl coops in Forida, but since there was no public investigation, no one knows for sure.
Anyway, I applaud Kaieteur News for staying with this story, because it was the same way it stayed with many other stories that led to the exposure of widespread corruption in this government. BTW, it was KN that kept focusing on Makeshwar ‘Fip’ Motilall from Jump Street, so that this month, when Motiall was supposed to finish the road to AFHEP, he has not. And now Stabroek News has made Motilall’s failure its lead story in today’s news. Thanks KN!
Is PPP leadership able to stop itself from being corrupt? Is there no threshold below which deals won’t be padded grotesquely?
Dr. Luncheon gone mi-stick with his report . All of them need to be jailed! this is so so low and sick!
All i can say is wow, they spent U.S $13,000 for a generator hut that size. That should be between U.S $1,000 – 3,000 GY $609,720 if that much. What is the reason for all of this overspending? Are they buying votes of the Indian population with expensive buildings? Is this a case of see what we have accomplished, the previous government could never build this we built it? Why raid the treasury and waste money like this when there is so much things to be accomplish in Guyana. In India there is corruption just like anywhere else but at least they build new roads that can be use by the people, airports etc etc… People are allowed to protest what they don’t like, Guyana no such luck. I know one country is bigger than the other, as small as Guyana is allot more should have been accomplish by the current government. What a shame what a waste of opportunity, when are the two peoples of Guyana going to stop thinking about there kind and get together and do what is right for Guyana.
hmmmmmm
That building really cost 89m but due to good governance and keen attention paid to the works being done to the Ministers and stakeholders satisfaction it now cost 69M.
lets move on please.
As licensed building contractor and an accredited fire engineer, I would like the opportunity to present an estimate on what I believe this project should have cost.
I am not able to read the bill of quantities as published, but will use the measurements provided along with current International Building Codes (IBC2010) and submit my findings by way of letter to this newspaper.
My fellow readers an update to my earlier posting, I went into my home office to review the building codes for a generator housing. The building codes are 20 pages long and this does not include additional codes such as the National Electrical Codes,(NEC 2010) Environmental Codes, (EPA 2010) National Fire Protection NFPA 2010 Health and Safety Codes that must be applied to the design, installation and construction of a generator room. To cut a long story short after a brief review of the codes I have determined that the based on the photograph that building does not meet the minimum requirements for its proposed used. It should be noted that no exhaust detail is shown and the conduit for the transfer of power is a disaster waiting to happen. However based on a quick calculation using the requirements for a enclosure housing a generator of 30KVA to 2000KVA and applying the basic codes my estimated cost is approximately $7,658.00 USD or 1,531,000 one million five hundred and thirty-one thousand Guyana Dollars inclusive of labor.
What terrible to me is that opposition parties simply make comments about these issues at press confrence like that’s all they can do!