$1.3B in contracts awarded for river & sea defence works in Regions 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6

Oct 29, 2024 News

$1.3B in contracts awarded for river & sea defence works in Regions 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6

Kaieteur News – More sea and river defence projects for Region Two, Three, Four, Five and Six will soon start as the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) has awarded $1.3 billion in contracts to construct the structures.

The project which is being undertaken by the Ministry of Public Works is divided into 10 lots. The ministry in its tender had revealed that the construction works are slated for areas such as Good Intent, Essequibo Coast in Region Two (Lot1); Zeelandia at Wakenaam Island (Lot2), Waterloo at Leguan Island (Lot3), and Anna Catherina/ Edinburg, West Coast Demerara in Region Three (Lot4); Garden of Eden, East Bank Demerara (Lot5), and Essex and Concord, Mahaica in Region Four (Lot7); between Belladrum and Washington in Region Five (Lot8); and Grant 1651, Crabwood Creek (Lot9) and at No. 61/No. 62 Village in Region Six(Lot 10).

Also, one of the lots (Lot6) is for the upgrade of sea defences and the incorporation of rubble mould breakwater and gryone along the Kingston, Georgetown seawall area.

According to information provided by NPTAB, the contractors building at these various lots are: 4N Hardware Store Inc.( L1) – $93,044,100; S Maraj Contracting Services (L2) – $72,122,000; Khan’s Enterprise (L3) – $169,867,938; Colin Talbot Contracting Services (L4 ) – $114,989,400; R&N Construction Services (L5) -$144,893,300; IB Contracting & Machinery Rental (L6) – $136,430,000; C Jorree Farming & Contracting Services (L7) – $262,470,000; M&B Construction (L8) – $116,529,800; Shafeeullah Sawmill (L9) -$112,266,200; and ANS General Contractors Inc (L10) – $125,797,000. The total account of the contract sums amounts to $1,348,409,738.

This publication understands that the funds to execute these projects were recently approved in the Supplementary Budget passed by the National Assembly in August.

During the passage of this year’s budget, initially some $4.5 billion was approved for sea and river defences capital works. At the National Assembly in August, Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), David Patterson questioned the subject minister, Juan Edghill on the expenditure of its budgetary allocation.

In response, Edghill told the House, “The total sum that was appropriated by the way of the Appropriation Act of 2024 was $4.5 billion, today the expenditure is 74.7 percent.”

Patterson further asked about the planned works for the Kingston seawall, and responding to this, Edghill explained that the beach at the seawall has been eroding and so “we are going to do some rock armour and breakwater interventions to preserve the beach.”

With the new projects coming on stream, the minister informed the National Assembly that so far for the year, they have completed 4,575 meters of sea defence capital works.

Meanwhile, under its current expenditure programme an additional $150 million was approved in the supplementary budget last week for the maintenance of sea and river defences in Regions Two, Seven and Ten.

($1.3B in contracts awarded for river & sea defence works in Regions. 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6)

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Coast, contracts awarded, Ministry of Public Works, National Procurement and Tender Administration Board, River and sea defence

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