To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Richard Persaud, P.E., a Professional Engineer in the United States and former Vice President of Harza Engineering, USA.
I was recently employed by Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) to manage the construction of seven (7) new water treatment plants in Guyana. The projects were located at Onderneeming and Parika and were constructed by Toshiba Engineering; at La Parfaite Harmonie and Wales and were constructed by Hipro Ecologicos, S.A. de C.V.; and at Caledonia, Cummings Lodge, and Bachelors Adventure and were constructed by SIGMA Engineering.
Recently, the Leader of the Opposition has raised several issues concerning the contracts awarded to SIGMA Engineering, including the employment of the President’s brother by SIGMA.
I was not involved in the bid evaluation process or in the decision to award the contracts. However, following the award of the contracts, we were able to review the bid prices submitted by the various contractors. Based on the information available to us, SIGMA was the low bidder for the three contracts that were ultimately awarded to them.
At the start of the projects, SIGMA demonstrated to us that it had successfully completed similar projects in Bangladesh. During the execution of the three projects in Guyana, SIGMA also successfully completed the works on schedule and within the contract budgets, despite setbacks resulting from GWI’s inability to complete certain ancillary works at the plant sites.
Throughout the approximately two-year construction period, SIGMA’s staff demonstrated a strong knowledge of the engineering and technical aspects of the projects. They conducted themselves professionally and courteously and consistently demonstrated the level of competence and professionalism expected of an engineering contractor.
I understand that President Ali’s brother may have been employed by SIGMA during the two-year construction period. However, during my involvement with these projects, he was never a participant in any of the numerous conversations, discussions, or meetings that I had with SIGMA’s representatives. At no time did he, or any other SIGMA employee, attempt to use the President’s name or position to influence any of our decisions. All decisions within my area of responsibility were made based on professional and engineering considerations.
If President Ali’s brother was employed by SIGMA during this period, I cannot comment on the circumstances or purpose of his employment. I can only state that, from my experience working with SIGMA, the contractor was responsive to issues that arose during construction period, and we were generally able to reach agreement on critical matters in a timely manner, allowing the works to proceed with minimal interruption.
In conclusion, based on my direct experience working with SIGMA Engineering on these three projects, I found the company to be a competent and professional contractor. SIGMA successfully completed the projects assigned to them within the contract schedules and budgets, notwithstanding the local challenges and delays associated with certain ancillary works.
This statement is based solely on my personal observations and professional experience during my involvement with these projects.
Sincerely,
Richard Persaud, P.E.
Professional Engineer, USA
Former Vice President, Harza Engineering, USA