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Agri. Ministry seeking new contractor for A-Line pump station project
The construction site where the A-Line Pump Station at Versailles, West Bank Demerara was initially being built. (Photo courtesy, Opposition Member of Parliament, Ganesh Mahipaul)
– new works estimated to cost $420M
Kaieteur News – With the first project terminated, the Ministry of Agriculture through the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) is again seeking contractors to construct the A-Line Pump Station in Versailles, West Bank Demerara, Region Three.
This is according to an invitation for bids issued by the ministry which was published in Thursday’s edition of this newspaper. The document stated that the new project is estimated to cost $420,335,740.
It was previously reported that the Agriculture Ministry terminated a $717 million contract for the construction of the A-Line pump station.
The Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha had told Kaieteur News that the contract has been terminated and the project halted due to non-performance by the contractor. The Minister explained that due to this set back, his ministry will re-start the tender process in search of another contractor to complete the project.
Late last month, Minister Mustapha visited Region Six where he said that there are several pump station projects ongoing across the country that is near completion.
“There are a number of contractors who are delinquent, I think the President (Irfaan Ali) at his press conference spoke about it, we have already started to charge liquidated damages on those contracts and I am hoping those contracts are completed shortly so we can commission them,” he said in a statement published by his Ministry on Facebook.
It was reported previously that following a national bidding process, the NPTAB in April 2022 awarded a $717,095,940 contract to contractor Civcon Engineering Contractors for the A-Line pump station project. The project was expected to be completed in June 2023.
With the delay in completion of the project, Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Ganesh Mahipaul publicly highlighted the slothfulness of that project, among others.
“While he (Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha) made a show of visiting the Canal No. 1 pump station, conveniently ignoring its neighbouring A-Line station and Pouderoyen Pump Stations, the truth is clear: projects across the region languish in a state of abandonment and disrepair,” Mahipaul said in a statement back in April.
Responding to the Opposition MP, the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) in a statement at the time stated that over the years, the Ministry and the NDIA crafted programmes aimed at delivering quality drainage and irrigation infrastructure across the country, especially in vulnerable areas. These efforts, however, have been met with challenges as, oftentimes, the NDIA encountered contractors who have underperformed.
The Authority had further disclosed that these instances have been and are being addressed on a case-by-case basis. In some instances, the NDIA applied liquidated damages to contractors who have not been able to complete projects according to the contractual time period, the statement disclosed.
“In the case of the A-Line pump station, the contractor has not been able to complete the project on time. As a result, liquidated damages are now being applied. The NDIA has noted that the contractor demobilized several pieces of equipment from the site. As such, the NDIA has notified the insurance company providing bonds on this project, and a file on the current situation has been sent to the Office of the Attorney General for advice on the way forward,” NDIA said back in April.
Kaieteur News had reported that the ministry through NDIA had also terminated a pump station contract ($978.7 million) for Black Bush Polder front-lands in Region Six due to poor quality and performance. That project has since been retendered and is now being executed by Quality Deliverer for $799 million.
Meanwhile, bids for the A-Line pump station project are expected to open on August 06, 2024 at the NPTAB office.
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