Goed Fortuin Bridge project under scrutiny after additional $4.8M sought

Jul 30, 2018 News

– documents indicate additional works started before award of contract

Officials of Region 3 (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara) are under scrutiny following a plan to approve $4.8M in additional works towards a bridge project at Goed Fortuin, West Bank Demerara.
Kaieteur News understands that Extreme General Construction and Supplies was awarded a contract to construct a timber bridge for $2.3M. The works were completed earlier this year.
Documents indicated that Extreme General Construction and Supplies be awarded an additional contract for $4.8M. The total cost of the project would be $7.1M.
However, several questions were raised about the project, including the fact that revetment works had started at the bridge by Extreme General Construction even before the award of the contract, which was pointed out to Kaieteur News during a visit to the location.
Work has also started on the approach to the bridge with a section dug up. A pile of sand was nearby which indicated that work was ongoing.
Regional officials are now scrambling to determine how to move forward with the additional $4.8M following queries by this publication. Some officials have refused to sign on to the addition cost, requesting further explanation from Regional Executive Officer, Denis Jaikaran.

The completed Goed Fortuin Bridge showing that work has started on the additional revetment works and approach areas.

The Region’s Public Relations Officer, Ganesh Mahipaul said that as far as he is aware, the original contract was returned to the Regional Tender Board for variation to include the revetment and approach works in the amount of $4.8M.
But information suggests that there are documents, which suggest that a new tender process was done.
Kaieteur News understands that Regional officials raised concerns after documents were produced showing that the Region’s evaluation committee received three bids for the additional works.
Documents indicated that the Regional Tender Board approved the recommendation of the evaluation committee that Extreme General Construction and Supplies as the most responsive bidder at $4.8M.
Based on those documents, the tender was for rehabilitation works (repairs to revetment) for the same bridge.
If a variation was being considered, then there was no need for a tender process. This raises the question as to why documents would indicate that a new tender process was conducted for the additional works and further that three bids were received. There are also questions as to why the variation is more than twice the original cost to construct the bridge.
While maintaining that he was unaware about a new tender process for the additional works, Mahipaul explained that additional monies had to be secured for the bridge because the original bill of quantities only addressed rehabilitating the bridge.
According to Mahipaul, when the project was awarded and the contractor started the work, Regional engineers indicated that after removing the old bridge, there is need for revetment on both sides of the bridge, which was not there before.
“What we were advised by our engineers is that there is need for an approach to go on the bridge and there is also need for revetment on both sides if we are to have an engineering structurally sound project,” Mahipaul stated.
“The project had to go back to the Tender Board for them to construct the two side revetment. That was the additional sum that was needed to complete the works.”
Mahipaul said he could not say that the Region’s Engineering Department provided bad advice.
He stated that the old structure had to be removed first before engineers could properly see the fault.
“I wouldn’t blame the engineer. What I would say is that it was sound advice because the engineer could have stayed quiet and allowed us to renovate the bridge and let it sit there and then in a year or two, it would have collapsed again. I think the engineer gave us sound advice,” Mahipaul said.
As reported by Kaieteur News earlier this month, there are numerous complaints from contractors about the Regional Tender Board.

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