Chung’s Global Enterprise, in rejecting claims that it defaulted on a contractual agreement for the construction of the Ministry of Health Head Office, laid the blame at the feet of the Ministry and its Consultant.
In an article published in Stabroek News on Sunday, November 1, 2020 under the headline “Gov’t terminates contract for new health ministry head office – cites delay, bloated cost, plans lawsuit against contractor,” Chung’s Global was accused of breaching the contractual agreement. But the construction company, in a statement on Monday, said the project was delayed by 768 days and that was not its fault but rather an issue on the part of the Ministry of Health.
“Chung’s Global Enterprise prides itself in the highest quality work and our strict adherence to contractual obligations. We are solidly committed to transparency and accountability particularly for the taxpayers-funded projects we undertake. It is our firm belief that we have been misrepresented and unfairly treated during the lifespan of this project (Construction of the Ministry of Health Head office Phase 1),” the company’s General Manager, Keisha Chung said.
In an attempt to clear the company of any wrongdoing, Chung explained that while the contract was awarded on November 8, 2017, it took the Health Ministry 155 days to appoint a Consultant – VIKAB Engineering Consultants Limited (April 12, 2018).
Upon reviewing the Bill of Quantities at the time, VIKAB had concluded that the Bill of Quantities was poorly prepared, resulting in a range of inadequacies. The issues were so grave that VIKAB undertook to revise the Bill of Quantities and drawing (plan).
According to the records provided by Chung’s Global, a commencement order, in the absence of a plan, was issued on July 19, 2018 – some 98 days after the appointment. It was not until September 14, 2019 that the first set of construction drawings were issued to Chung’s Global Enterprise.
On September 2, 2019, a completely revised set of construction drawing and Bill of Qualities were issued to the construction company. “Drawings were prior issued in a piecemeal manner which impeded our ability to plan, price and procure,” Chung said.
She added: “All instructions and drawings received prior to September 2, 2019 were executed in a timely manner.”
The General Manager said while construction got underway after September 2, 2019, Emergency Measures instituted to suppress the spread of the Coronavirus (COVOD-19), required that all constructions be halted in April 3, 2020. After some 105 days, the construction of the building recommenced on July 17, 2015. Chung estimated that the project was delayed by 768 days.
It was noted that the revised Bill of Quantities represented a completely different project scope. “The revised bill of quantities was not prepared by Chung’s Global Enterprise, it was prepared by the MOH’s representative VIKAB; it should be noted that our first Revised Pricing was submitted in October, 2019 but due to continued negotiations with VIKAB we were able to submit our final price on August 3, 2020 supported by quotations from our suppliers. Furthermore, our final price on the revised BOQ was within the estimated price that VIKAB came up with when they priced same,” Chung explained.
Chung said the company remains committed to ensuring the highest quality of work.
“We reject any insinuation that we have erred and or failed to honour our contractual obligations. Further we, have worked tirelessly and diligently to ensure that this project was executed in a timely and professional manner,” Chung said.
She iterated that the company is committed to the growth and development of the country, and is opened to scrutiny.
