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$865 million contract award to Guyanese Critic under review – PPC
Kaieteur News – An $865 million contract awarded to a company affiliated with Mikhail Rodrigues, better known as the ‘Guyanese Critic’ is under review by the Public Procurement Commission (PPC).
Social media commentator, Mikhail Rodrigues, popularly known as “Guyanese Critic”
Sources at the Commission told this newspaper yesterday that Member of Parliament (MP) David Patterson had requested the investigation flagging the contractor’s inexperience among other irregularities.
Patterson during an Alliance For Change (AFC) press conference told Kaieteur News on Friday that the PPC responded to his request for an investigation dated October 3, 2023.
He said he was told that his complaint was on the agenda for Friday’s meeting and that a letter would be sent to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) for information such as the evaluation reports, criteria used and other relative information to examine the award.
The former Minister of Public Infrastructure said it was “an encouraging development.”
At the same time, he said he was not informed whether the PPC has directed NPTAB to hold on the award of the contract while it conducts the investigation. Patterson urged that this was critical since it can result in the wastage of taxpayers’ dollars should the company be unable to complete the job.
He was keen to note that this investigation may uncover alarming findings that an official at NPTAB may be involved in corruption.
In his letter to the PPC, seen by this publication, the former Minister said that, “the technical requirements of the bid documents required the successful bidder to have successfully completed projects of a similar nature and size within the last three years.”
He however pointed out the company that received the $865M contract- Tepui Group Inc. was established in August 2022, thus failing to meet those requirements.
Tepui Group was awarded the contract to construct a pump station at Belle Vue, West Bank Demerara (WBD) through the tendering process at NPTAB on August 14, 2023. The procuring entity of the contract is the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA). The company that was awarded the contract is affiliated with the ‘Guyanese Critic’ who is a close friend of leaders in the People’s Progressive Party, particularly Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo.
In his letter to the Public Procurement Commission, the Opposition Parliamentarian requested that should the award prove defective, necessary actions should be taken against the entities and individuals associated with the award.
The five member PPC is chaired by President of the Guyana Bar Association, Pauline Chase. Commissioners include government nominees Rajnarine Singh and Joel Bhagwandin as well as Opposition nominees, Diana Rajkumar and Berkeley Wickham.
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