MINISTER within the Ministry of Finance, Juan Edghill, has urged contractors, engineers, contract supervisors and other technical officers to ensure that there is better contract management, execution and contract worth, settlement of contract disputes, and focus on contract claims and counter claims.

He made this request of the officers while addressing a forum on management of claims and resolution of disputes under FIDIC contracts and MDBs’ Construction contract.

Minister Edghill related that the training programme he was addressing represented an investment by the Government of Guyana and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) into the personnel that constituted his audience, and he said they should value the investment.

He recalled that after he had researched the programme he then realised the cost for the programme in other countries of the world; thus it is his hope that with the training the participants were receiving, the risks of conflict would be eliminated from the drafting of contracts. He said that before any contract is signed they should be in order.

Minister Edghill also made it clear that those who have benefited from the training should be able to understand how to implement the clauses to resolve and eliminate risks, since contracts and clauses are not only about rights, but also interests.

Meanwhile, programme trainer, Robert Cochrane, of the European Construction Venture EVC expressed delight in working with the participants. He reassured them that with the training, they can expect to see the execution of contracts done in a more effective and cost efficient manner, if they apply what was taught in the training.

He said the participants asked informed questions, which saw them getting the answers that made them better understand the concepts which were being taught. Minister Edghill said one of the main points is the ability to ensure that mechanisms are in place to deal with issues.

Issues which should be looked at in the preparation of contracts are the clauses which are geared to address problems which continue to occur.

The Inter-American Development Bank representative said there is always much importance in transforming knowledge while calling for an end to mistakes in the formulating of contracts.

(Leroy Smith)