“IT’S a proud moment in football development in Guyana and the Caribbean,” International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) Development Officer Howard McIntosh proclaimed yesterday morning, as the contract for the construction of Guyana’s first Goal project was inked. The winning bid for the Sub-base work came from Dwain Ferdinand and Home Designs, which is based in New Amsterdam for a total of $128 650 927.
That figure was later adjusted to $128 982 471 by a three-man panel which included Chairman Rabin Chandarpal, Nigel Hinds and Hector Edwards.
Before the ink dried, however, McIntosh was stern in reminding the contractors that the specified time frame and strict adherence to quality are what the body expects in the construction of the project.
To assure this, several objectives for laying of the base have already been set out in the four-month project which will be overlooked by Consultant Marcel Gaskin and Associates.
The Berbice Company beat out Courtney Benn Contracting Services’ bid of $152 781 628.
Meanwhile, Guyana Football Federation (GFF) 2nd vice-president Rawlston Adams contended, “This project has been long overdue; the signing is for the preparation work for the Providence Facility and Miniature Stadium which will be constructed in two phases.”
GFF president Wayne Forde echoed the sentiments of his colleague, stating, “I think way overdue is putting it lightly,” adding “The plan is to have one high-quality playing facility in each association and not to be left to the mercy of nature during the rainy season.”
The process was no easy one, commented Forde. “They needed to take their time to ensure transparency and that it can stand up to scrutiny in any way. On our end, we took our time to ensure the process was done in a particular way. Now we move to the action and to get things done.”
Contractor Dwain Ferdinand committed to the project, adding, “Our company is equipped to take the project and have many different equipment which will be used efficiently to complete the project in the shortest possible time.”
The facility is being constructed in the Eccles/Ramsburg district for which the federation, under the Normalisation Committee, had signed a 30-year lease in 2015.