Manickchand cautions contractors of UG projects to stick to timeline or face consequence

Contractors working on projects at the University of Guyana Turkeyen Campus have been cautioned by Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand to complete them within the agreed contractual timeline or face possible contract termination.

The contractors are executing works for the Ministry of Education (MoE) on three projects valued almost $500M. They include the construction of a modern three-storied bursary building; the rehabilitation of the sewage system and the construction of a pump house that will alleviate the constant flooding experienced on the campus when it rains. These projects should have been completed during the first half of last year.

During a visit to the site of the three projects on Wednesday, the Education Minister told the representatives of the respective contracting companies that delays will not be tolerated.

She explained that because the projects were budgeted for it meant that there is a need for the students on the campus to benefit within the timeframe. “This is a complete failure on the part of the contractors, it is unacceptable, reprehensible and a breach of contract”, the Minister of Education said.

Minister Manickchand was accompanied by the University of Guyana Vice-Chancellor Professor Paloma Mohamed-Martin, the MoE Permanent Secretary Mr. Alfred King and the Head of the MoE Buildings Unit Mr. Ron Eastman.

Minister Manickchand said that the MoE is taking a very firm view on contractors who do not complete works within the specified timeframe. She said action will be taken against errant contractors since such tardy behaviour will impact on the efficiency of the campus and its work.

However, the Education Minister pointed out that her Ministry is not insensitive to legitimate issues that might affect contractors. Notwithstanding, she noted that when contractors bid for projects they have to consider a number of factors such as persistent rainfall, the supply of materials and other considerations that may cause the project to be delayed and have a plan to address this to ensure that it is completed on time.

“There can be no excuses, you have to get it done within the time agreed, and this stops today do what you say you will do.”

Further, she said the argument cannot be made that the projects were not completed on time because of financial constraints since all three contractors received advanced payments.

Minister Manickchand said that going forward the UG Project Implementation Unit (PIU) and the Ministry of Education Department of Engineering will provide support and guidance to contractors to ensure that the new timelines for completion of the three projects agreed to are met.

The three projects were awarded in 2019 and should have been completed during 2020.

The pump station is now set to be completed at the ending of March 2021, while the new bursary building is set for a May 2021 finish and the rehabilitation of the sewage system is set to be completed November 2021.