–through the implementation of a $417M CRIP project

RESIDENTS of Regions Three, Four, Five and Six will benefit from an expenditure of $417M towards provision of quality roads, rehabilitated under the Community Roads Improvement Programme (CRIP) in 2014.
At the Boardroom of the Ministry of Housing on Brickdam, five contractors who had each been awarded a contract under the CRIP programme yesterday officially signed their documents to commence work in their respective areas.

Project Coordinator of CRIP, Karen Roopchand, outlined that the new contracts signed are extensions to the existing CRIP, and she said that the bids had been advertised through tenders, and their evaluations were done on April 29.

“Cabinet’s ‘no objection’ was then granted, and the contracts were awarded to Region 3 – Barden Construction Service Ltd; Region 4 – Guy America Construction; Region 5 — Erin Lall Civil Works; Region 6, Lot 1: KP Jagdeo General Construction; and Region 6, Lot 2 — H Nauth & Sons Construction,” she disclosed.

Ms Roopchand noted that the construction companies are expected to deliver these works in a timely manner, with quality assurance being pivotal, so as to have the communities benefit from the roads’ rehabilitation.
Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali explained that the ministry is exultant to move forward with the CRIP programme, even though presently the ministry is doing a lot of work in new schemes and upgrading hundreds of roads in new and existing housing schemes.

“Under the CRIP programme, we are focusing more on old housing schemes, old settlements, and old areas, because these are areas that also require infrastructure intervention,” Minister Ali said.

Ali noted that the accumulated value of the contracts signed yesterday is $417M, and he said the works to be effected would directly benefit 15,685 persons.

The contracts will cater for 15 main access roads being rehabilitated into asphalt or concrete surfaces, and there will be provision of safety features such as signage, road markings, and speed humps. “These have become necessary in these areas, and have been added to the contracts because of the disgusting behaviours of today’s motorists” Ali lamented.

The works detailed in the contracts should be completed within three months, some at the end of August, and the remaining few at the end of September 2014. “There will be no toleration of any excuse to vary the completion date”, Ali noted.

He explained that contractors were made aware when bidding that they are to cater for the change in weather, are to utilise all working hours, and are to ensure that they have the facilities to work in the night, should it become necessary.
“From the time the contract end date comes up and work has not been completely liquidated, damages will be charged; and we HAVE been charging existing contractors,” Ali emphasised.

He indicated that the ministry is in the process of documenting contractors who have given poor performances and that document will be submitted to National Tender and Procurement Administration (NPTA).

The CRIP is a multi-million-dollar road project being implemented by the Government of Guyana through the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development and the Ministry of Housing and Water. It is aimed at improving access to housing, education, health and other social infrastructure through improvement and upgrading of roads in existing housing schemes.

(By Rebecca Ganesh-Ally)