This GPL tender requires many answers

Jul 14, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
I have several questions that need to be answered concerning the tender for the GPL/IDB Power Utility Upgrade Program, Lot A. This tender was closed on February 24/2016; five companies tendered for this job. Initially the bid security and tender prices were only valid for 120 days.
Recently GPL sent letters to contractors asking them to secure bid security for an additional 120 days and indicate whether the tender price still stands. Five companies tendered for this job, of which three are Chinese, one local and another being a joint venture between a local and a Columbian outfit.
Mr. Editor, some of this is very baffling for me, simply because of the time and the big hoopla surrounding this project. We as Guyanese deserve some answers, simply because this project is a loss reduction one.
This will bring relief to the national coffers, by saving on a wide list of items such as generation cost and line maintenance. This project has been widely talked about in the electrical community within Guyana and the Caribbean because of the amount of saving it will bring to the utility company and the Nation as a whole.
Here are my questions to the Board and Management of GPL, the Government of Guyana and, The IDB and EU.
1. Why after funding for this project 2+ years later it is still not implemented, while we are losing millions each day from generation loss which is estimated to be around 30%?
2. Why the need to extend the bid time to a further 120 day; they are only five companies to evaluate. Can GPL and the IDB say what the issue is for this lengthy time delay?
3. Why is the media running a smear campaign on the Chinese contractors, this is not looking well for our country since China is our largest donor and investor?
4. Who are the personnel in charge of this project, no mention has been made of a project manager and team?
5. From my understanding reading the project document only 3 of the contractors meet the criteria of the bid. They all seem to be the Chinese companies, then why the long wait if only 3 bids are to be evaluated?
5. Why the smear campaign by a local tabloid on one of the Chinese companies?
6. From my understanding there were evaluators from different Government ministries that evaluated this project. They have all completed their evaluations. Can GPL say what is the current status of this bid process?
7. If GPL uses the other 120 days as requested this will bring us to 0ctober 24/2016. That is double the time a project usually takes for evaluation in Guyana.
Mr. Editor just a few of the questions I have. Hopefully we will see an award soon or some sort of release by GPL. I am hoping this is not some sort of trickery by the administration to award to some friend or allow the media to dictate who it must be awarded to. If GPL is spending upwards of $7 billion on generation each year and losing 30% of this on line losses, let’s do the math on total money down the drain. Thank you in advance for your considerations for printing.
Michael Persaud

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