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Reg. 1 RDC pays 79% of contract sum for incomplete school
Audit General Report…
Kaieteur News – Auditor General (AG), Deodat Sharma in his 2022 Report has flagged the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region One for paying approximately 79 percent of the contract sum for incomplete works on the construction of a primary school at Oronoque, Port Kaituma.
Kaieteur News had reported that during the opening of tenders in April last year, two contractors had submitted bids for the project. They were International Imports & Supplies and Caribbean Construction Consult & International Supplies. The project was estimated to cost $25,164,850, according to the government engineer.
In his report which was released earlier this week, the AG stated that the contract for the construction of Primary School at Oronoque Port Kaituma was awarded in the sum of $24,668,000 by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).
Photos o f incomplete works and abandoned site of the construction of the Oronoque Primary School. (Photo courtesy, Audit Office of Guyana)
The report states that of December 31, 2022, the sum of $19,734,000 was paid to the contractor. Mr. Sharma documented that an audit examination of Payment Vouchers and supporting documents for the project revealed that details on the signing of the contract, contract duration and the defects liability period could not be determined.
He noted that on July 14 of this year, a physical verification conducted, discovered that the site was abandoned and the works were incomplete, “while our inspections, measurements and calculations revealed an overstatement of $10.557M,” was discovered.
Not only that, the AG detailed that during the verification of the project, sub-standard works were observed on the construction of the 6-inch kerb wall, with “blocks not being laid leveled”, while the block work to accommodate the fill material and floor slab was “poorly done and out of line” and will require adjustments.
In response to the AG findings, the Head of Budget Agency indicated that the contractor is presently onsite correcting the faulty work, and once completed the Audit Office will be notified. The Audit Office in its recommendation to the Head of Budget Agency noted that the Regional Administration; “should immediately desist from certifying payments for incomplete works with the intention to cut and hold a cheque.”
Another recommendation is that the Regional Administration should carefully inspect all completed works and should not accept poor quality and sub- standard works on their facilities and that they should monitor the pace of the works closely and encourage the contractor to expedite the completion of the works. “In addition, all delays should be documented and any extensions of time granted should be supported by justifications,” the AG added.
- Auditor General, incomplete school, Oronoque, Port Kaituma, primary school, Regional Democratic Council of Region One
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