Massive bids made to supply equipment for East Dem. Conservancy project

Apr 06, 2016 News

During the opening of bids at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), Ministry of Finance, there was a contract for the supply, delivery and testing of earth-moving equipment for the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC). This project was listed under the Ministry of Agriculture.

This comes on the heels of last month’s contract for the reconstruction of the North Eastern dam of the EDWC. The engineer’s estimate for that was $424,482,910.

The rebuilding of this dam has been on the agenda for years, with Government advertising for consultants last year. The project is funded by the World Bank, under the Flood Risk Management Project. It is understood that the terms of reference entail works reaching three meters high and at least four kilometers in length.

On the part of the consultants, the notice had listed their main tasks as the general administration of the contract and supervision of works, in accordance with the requirements of the Construction Supervision and Quality Assurance Plan. It is expected to last 30 calendar months.

There was also a contract to provide supervision services for the contentious East Bank Berbice (EBB) road rehabilitation project. This project is under the Ministry of Public Infrastructure.

The multi-million-dollar EBB road, which stretches 25 miles from New Amsterdam to Mara, was rehabilitated previously, only to fall apart less than a few months afterwards, as highlighted by Kaieteur News in June 2015.

There were also substantial bids for the supply of pharmaceuticals to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). The bidding was done in lots.

In addition, bids for the supply of line hardware for Lethem Power Company Inc. and smaller hinterland communities were made. This project was under the auspices of the Hinterland Electrification Company, Ministry of Public Infrastructure.