Just some facts for Freddie Kissoon

Jun 03, 2015 Letters

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Dear Editor,
We are writing in response to The Freddie Kissoon column in the Tuesday, June 02, 2015 edition of the Kaieteur News titled “A challenge to BK International.” While we do not take the so called “challenge” seriously we do have serious concerns about the misinformation that Mr. Kissoon continues to peddle in his columns about BK International.
It is unfortunate that Mr. Kissoon misses so many things claiming that he was at an AFC meeting or function; it is unclear why as a columnist he finds it necessary to constantly state that we was with the AFC when things took place. We hope that Mr. Kissoon does not intend his statements to be taken as a reflection of AFC positions or policies.  The AFC may need to make a clear statement on this matter.
Further, in his columns, he seems compelled to mention his campaign with the AFC for the Procurement Commission and links that with BK International’s success at winning government contracts. Mr. Kissoon also continues to suggest that BK’s success was dependent upon Mr. Jagdeo’s presidency.
At the risk of repetition, we wish to make it clear that BK International was a successful construction company long before Mr. Jagdeo became president. BK International was the first local company to break the stranglehold that international construction firms had on major infrastructural works in Guyana funded by the multinational financial institutions (IFIs).
Prior to BK’s success, all major public infrastructure works were carried out by companies such as Taylor Woodrow, Ballast Nedam and others.
For the record, Mr. Brian Tiwarie started out as a businessman in the early 1980s and by 1983 he had established and operated his company B & K Transportation and Construction Services. That early company quickly became owner and operator of the largest fleet of vehicles (road and river) and equipment in Guyana and was working on a number of significant construction jobs.
In 1993 BK International was established as a successor company to B & K Transportation and Construction Services and all other business activities conducted by Mr. Tiwarie. BK International has had considerable success as a construction and also as a diversified entity. The company established subsidiaries including BK Marine, BK Farms and BK Quarries.
BK International has a long and successful history in public infrastructure works on projects funded by the EU, CDB, IDB, and the World Bank. During the period 1995 to 2002 BK International successfully completed many projects mainly in the area of sea defence financed by the IDB.
BK was the first Guyanese-owned Construction Company to undertake a major sea defence project financed by United States PL 480 / World Bank at La Belle Alliance, Essequibo in 1997. In 2003, BK successfully executed the construction of 2.1 km Sea Defence at Mon Chosie, West Coast Berbice, the largest to be awarded to a Guyanese company at the time.
Mr. Kissoon conveniently mixes our projects with the issues of the procurement commission but fails to do the necessary research to make his case. Every major public infrastructure project awarded to BK International was after there was a public tender published.
Before BK International’s bid could receive cabinet’s ‘No-Objection’ it had first been approved by the banks. The banks would not approve a tender if we were unqualified. For contracts we were awarded we have the skilled and qualified technical experts, the general labour force and the equipment to carry out the project to design specifications. It should be noted here that we have built up a team of qualified local experts.
Had Mr. Kissoon done his homework he would have discovered that BK International did not win every tender it responded to, including bids submitted during the tenure of Mr. Jagdeo as president. In recent years both the Kaieteur News and the Stabroek News have been regularly publishing the submitted bids after the Tender Box is opened at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board.
Those papers also publish the awardees at the end of the process. The information on BK’s rate of success is in the public domain.
Just as an illustration we wish to point Mr. Kissoon the fact that a Bid for Upgrading of Access Roads and Bridges (Re-Tender No. 2) Lot 2 – Ruby Paved Road (Public Road to Ruby/Parika Cross Dam to ParikaPrimary School)was opened on September 16, 2014 at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB). BK International participated in the tender process but the project was awarded to one of our competitors.
Investigations revealed that this competitor seriously breached the NPTAB rules on ‘conflict of interest’ but was still awarded the contract ahead of BK International. We submitted the lowest qualifying bid. BK lodged a complaint and wrote to Dr. Roger Luncheon on October 1, October 10 and November 25, 2014 citing unfair competition. The project was still awarded to our competitor.
This is not the only occasion where BK International was the victim in the tender process and had our complaints fall on deaf ears while the Peoples Progressive Party was in government. It should also be noted that on several occasions over the past twenty years BK International has had to take action in the courts to ensure that we got justice and were not given a raw deal although on each of these occasions we were the most responsive bidder.
Mr. Kissoon said that he missed what Mr. Tiwaire said on television. We wish to advise that Mr. Tiwarie also said that he too campaigned and voted for change. Mr. Tiwarie campaigned with the APNU+AFC, while Mr. Kissoon continues to say that he campaigned with the AFC, missing the coming into being of the coalition.
Finally, on the matter of the campaign for change, Mr. Tiwarie and the BK Group of companies look forward to a level playing field for businesses and wait with anticipation for the establishment of the Procurement Commission. We believe that when the Procurement Commission is in place there will be no favouritism and companies like BK International can be awarded public infrastructure projects based on a more transparent process and fair examination of our track record, capacity and competence.
Alex Graham
Tagman

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