Contractors bid $2B to build new Prospect school

Apr 16, 2024 News

An image of what the Prospect Secondary School is expected to look like.

Kaieteur News – With the government moving forward with the construction of a new secondary school at Prospect on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD), three contractors vying for the contract have submitted individual bids totaling around $2 billion for the works.

This information was revealed at the recent reading of tenders at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) office. The three contractors were part of the six companies who initially submitted their proposals for the contract, but would have met the criteria by NPTAB to compete for the project. The contractors are: Nabi Construction Inc. who bid US$13,085,663; Shandong Hi-Speed Dejian Group Co. Limited (China) who bid US$13,903,184; and Kares Engineering Inc. who bid $2,166,197,330. It should be noted that this project is being executed by the Ministry of Education.

As reported, the project is being financed through a loan from the World Bank. In its advertisement, the ministry had stated that having received financing from the World Bank towards the cost of the Guyana Strengthening Human Capital through Education Project, it intends to apply part of the proceeds towards the contract to have the school constructed.

In terms of the financing the country had received a loan under the World Bank’s – Guyana Strengthening Human Capital through Education Project. Kaieteur News had reported that in August last year Guyana signed a US$44 million loan agreement with the World Bank.

The Guyana Strengthening Human Capital through Education Project focuses on the expansion of access to quality education at the secondary level and improving technical and vocational training (TVET). The project will also support the piloting and national rollout of a new curriculum for Grades Seven to Nine and finance textbooks for Grades Seven to Eleven. It will also see the development of a new TVET sector policy for 2022-2030 and improve the delivery of TVET at secondary and post-secondary institutions. Two other secondary schools have been built through funding by the World Bank. Those schools are the Good Hope Secondary School and the Westminster Secondary School.

Kaieteur News understands that the new school is expected to accommodate approximately 1000 students.

In its project summary submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in December 2023, the ministry had stated that the area reserved at Prospect for the construction of the school is some 6.12 acres. The document noted that US$8.1 million will be utilized to construct and furnish the new school. When a contract is signed, the construction period is expected to be a 15-month period, followed by a 12-month defects liability period. The Education Ministry said that the facility will include 25 classrooms, an Information Technology Laboratory, Language Laboratory, Science Laboratories, Industrial Technology Department (metal work, wood work AutoCAD), a Home Economics Department, Visual and Performing Arts facilities, a library, sick bay, an Administrative block, canteen, sanitary facilities, assembly area/ all weather playing area, recreational area, and an agricultural area.

In addition, the following ancillary facilities will be built: guard hut, car park and cycle shed, septic system, water trestle, boundary fence, bridge(s), internal and external drainage, and speed bumps and pedestrian crossings. The new state-of-the-art school is designed to cater for universal and special needs access. Minister of Education Priya Manickchand said once completed, the new Prospect school will eventually result in the closure of the Covent Garden Primary Top, Providence Primary Top, Supply Primary Top, and Diamond Primary Top. The school will also help eliminate the overcrowding in Covent Garden, Diamond and Houston Secondary Schools.

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

bid, Ministry of Education, Prospect Secondary School, three contractors, World Bank

Latest News