THE issues of timely completion and quality of work executed by contractors

have been with us for quite some time, but it has never been really comprehensively addressed and it has caused great concern by residents in communities where those projects are executed.
What is perplexing is that on many occasions, projects which have been started suddenly come to a halt, but no one informs the community what is the cause for the stoppage and when residents in the affected community attempt to find out the reason(s) for the stoppage, no one ever seems to know and as usual they are given the ‘royal run around’.
In other instances, the quality of work by contractors leaves much to be desired as they seem to be more interested in making money rather than delivering quality of work/service. And here again when residents complain they are seldom given a satisfactory response from the relevant authorities –be it the RDC or NDC, etc.
Another major concern is the timely completion of projects by contractors. Rarely are projects completed within the specified period and extension for time has become a norm for contractors.
It is quite true that delays are caused by factors beyond the control of contractors, such as the weather and shortage of building materials. However, very often the delays are due to contractors’ negligence, improper planning with respect to execution of work and a lack of adequate and appropriate machinery and equipment.
What is even more disgusting is that these negligent contractors seem to be oblivious to unconcerned about the inconvenience, discomfort, and sometimes severe suffering that are caused by these inordinate delays.
It is because of this indifferent attitude of contractors that our late President Dr Cheddi Jagan had advocated that communities in which projects are being executed should be given copies of contract documents so that they could help to monitor whether the execution of work is being done in accordance with specifications mandated in the contracts.
However, there is a big question mark as to whether his advice has ever been implemented.
Nevertheless, a most welcome development recently has been the hands-on approach taken by Minister within the Ministry of Finance, Juan Edghill, with respect to the execution of contracts.
Against the backdrop of the length of time this nagging problem has been in existence, this kind of intervention has been long overdue.
What must be borne in mind and acknowledged by senior managers is that too often they depend on feedback only from those who are responsible for the monitoring of projects. In many instances these persons do not give an accurate picture of what is happening on the ground so as to hide the fact that they have not been properly monitoring projects.
So indeed it should be an imperative for ministers and other senior officials to get into the fields and see for themselves what is the reality on the ground and, simultaneously, it is a wonderful opportunity to interact with residents and hear their concerns.
Perhaps one of the reasons some contractors continue to do shoddy work and do not adhere to the specified time period to complete projects is because of the fact that penalties have not been imposed and are not being imposed.
Other government officials should take a leaf out of Mr. Edghill’s book, because we cannot allow poor execution of work on projects by contractors whose only motivation is profits. As President Donald Ramotar recently stressed, “value for money must become the order of the day”.
After all, in this era where competitiveness is a prerequisite for economic prosperity, the efficient and timely delivery of quality service must become the norm rather than the exception.