Dear Editor,
NDIA (Ministry of Agriculture) is pushing back on just over $5M payment to a contractor for supply and installation of an engine to an existing pump in Region 4. The very same type of work was granted expeditious approval for more than double the cost in Region 6 to another politically favored contractor.
The contractor in both jobs were required to supply and install the engine to the pumps. They were identical jobs. The accessing conditions were/are almost exactly the same. The engines are the same – Dosan 126TI. The region 6 job was $12.5M. The payment demand for the Region 4 job is just over $5M. Yet the Ministry is resisting payment. Why?
What is the basis for paying a contractor in Region 6 for $12.5 M while resisting to pay another contractor in Region 4 less than half that amount for the same job? The job is stalled and the pump has not been working for months, posing a potential threat to flooding.
Yours truly,
Vimal Ramsingh
