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Ministry sacks another contractor from Synthetic Track project
By Edison Jefford
Following last year’s sacking of a construction company that was responsibly for the erection of the perimeter fence at the Synthetic Track and Field Facility, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports was forced to sack another firm for failing to complete works within stipulated deadlines.
Deputy Permanent Secretary within Ministry, Steve Ninvalle, told the media yesterday that they were forced to terminate the contract of Pioneer Construction Company for slothful works, while they are examining the contracts of other companies. Ninvalle made the revelations during a site visit to the facility at Leonora.
The foundation of the northern VIP stand currently under construction with the asphalt base of the Synthetic Track and Field Facility in the background at Leonora.
“We are very concerned about services of some contractors; we had to terminate the contract of Pioneer, who was responsible for constructing some inner roads and drains, and we are currently reviewing the contracts of some others,” Ninvalle indicated.
The ministry was forced to re-issue two contracts last year after an initial contractor failed to get the work on the perimeter fence done. The non-performance of contractors had obviously set the works behind schedule, but the Deputy PS has assured that works are ongoing.
“We found that a lot of these contractors have been delinquent and that is unfair to the people of Guyana. We really would have liked the works to be a bit more speedy, but it may not be at the pace the Ministry expected, but it is going on,” he said.
According to Ninvalle, the laying of the actual Synthetic Track, which was expected to be laid in the first half of the year, has been delayed owed to inclement weather. He said that the track is in Guyana and awaits the expertise of Germany-based, BSW Regupol.
“We wrote to Regupol to query when they will be here and they have indicated that they want to lay the track in dry season, so we are working with the Hydromet Office to ascertain when that is going to be,” he noted, adding that they have forwarded the information from the local Hydromet Office to BSW Regupol so that they will be properly guided.
The foundation of the northern VIP stand was visible yesterday as well as the asphalt base for the laying of the track. The perimeter fence is also completed as well as the entrance and exit queues for the facility; Bermuda grass for the football field at centre is also sprouting.
Project Manager of Design and Construction Service Limited, which is the consultancy company overlooking the project, Patrick Pitt, rated the amount of works done at the facility at 70 percent; Pitt said that they are continuing to move apace in the second phase.
“The fence, asphalt base, overall works so far on the track is about 70% completed. One of the complaints from contractors was the rain,” Pitt said, adding that Regopul is expected within the country within a month to lay the track, which will be usable thereafter.
Phase I of the project was given a stipulated deadline of six months to be ready for the laying of the track. Courtney Been had won the award for Phase I after submitting a $124, 960, 227M bid last year. Phase II, which comprise putting down the actual synthetic track was given to German company, BSW Regupol.
BSW Regupol had signed a $93,000,000M contract for Phase II of the Facility. Regupol laid the track that was used at the World Championships in Berlin 2009. The company also laid the track at Mona Campus, University of West Indies and Jamaican National Stadium. The estimated cost to complete the entire facility in Guyana is US$5M.
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