Dear Editor,
On Sept 2, a cabinet note approved a contract for construction of a pump station at Adventure on the Corentyne. The contract was awarded to bidder D. Sawh Mechanical Workshop of Bush Lot for the amount of $446,854,320.00 as stated in cabinet decision note CP (2021)09.02.5 (d)(xxvi); tender FS: NPTAB:212/2021/21. There are questions about this contract. Is the company qualified to undertake the project?
Was the tender process a sham? Did Sawh Mechanical meet the criteria for the contract? If not, was it assured that the qualifying requirement would be ignored and as such went ahead with putting in a bid?
One of the qualifying requirements stated in the tender is the undertaking of major civil works. Sawh Mechanical is known to be a mechanic. Sawh Mechanical is not on record as ever building a pump station or undertaking major civil works. Several contractors that put in a bid for the job. Other bidders have a proven track record in major civil work and building pumps. So how and why was Sawh Mechanical chosen for this task?
Sawh was known to be very friendly with an element in then coalition government getting a lot of contracts but not to build pumps. Now he is close with PPP Ministers and top brass. Can the President, head of the cabinet, justify awarding this contract to Sawh?
Yours truly,
Jillian Adams
