T&T contractors dominate bids to build $2.8B Hospitality Training Institute

Oct 26, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – Eight out of the twelve bidders that responded to the invitation for prequalification for the construction of a new Hospitality Training Institute are Trinidad and Tobago-owned companies.

The bids which opened at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) office yesterday saw the eight Trinidadian firms, three local firms and one Chinese-owned company all applying for the construction of the $2,805,000,000 Hospitality and Tourism Training Institute project.

The bidders are as follow: R. Bassoo & Son Construction Company Inc. (Guyana), Kares Engineering Inc. (Guyana), Rosscon Limited (T&T), Adam’s Project Management & Construction Limited (T&T), Nabi Construction Inc. (Guyana), Shandong High Speed Dejian Group Company Limited (China), China Railway Construction Caribbean Limited (T&T), Keechanona Limited (T&T), QCD Construction Company Limited (T&T), and Unicorn Limited (T&T).

Back in 2020, the Government had announced that it secured a loan from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) for the construction of the Institute. The CDB had loaned Guyana US$11.6 million, which was the initial cost for the project. At that time, the institute was expected to be constructed at Providence, East Bank Demerara, behind the Guyana National Stadium.

However, in November 2021, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commence, Oneidge Waldron, announced that the project had to be re-scoped. Minister Waldron had said that the re-scoping of the project would require the project being moved to a bigger location and Ogle, East Coast Demerara was selected.

According to the 2022 budget document, the total project cost is now $2,805,000,000, with the sum of $2,436,000,000(US$11.6M) borrowed from CBD for the project and Central Government financing the remaining $369,000,000.

In the Government’s advertisement it was stated that, ‘A Project Management Unit (PMU) has been established to coordinate the various activities within the Project. The works pertains to the construction of a New Hospitality and Tourism Training Institute following at Port Mourant, East Berbice, Region#6, Guyana.’

To this end it was highlighted that the new Hospitality and Tourism Training Institute should entail a Block C, Block D, external works, mechanical installation and an electrical infrastructure.

Kaieteur News understands that Block C (training facilities) would be a two-storey building with a reinforced concrete frame and reinforced concrete floors and should be approximately 2,850 square metre – Block D (classrooms and student facilities) would be a two-storey building with a reinforced concrete frame and reinforced concrete floors and should be approximately 1,150 square metre.

External works entails site preparation, security office, gates, fence, roads and car parks, concrete drains, septic tanks, reservoir, access and walkway and generator building in an area of approximately four acres. The Ministry of Finance (MOF) is the executing agency for the project, whereas the Ministry of Education (MOE) is responsible for the overall implementation of the project.

Below are the companies and their bids:

Ministry of Education
Procurement of the printing of curriculum