By Rehana Ahamad

PLAGUED with a host of delayed, undone and substandard infrastructural works, the Ministry of Public Works has moved to implement a system seeking to keep tabs on all projects undertaken by the ministry. This was revealed by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Vladim Persaud, who recently appeared before the Public Accounts Committee to answer to a series of discrepancies flagged in the 2016 Audit Report.
Although most of the questions predate Persaud’s three-month tenure at the ministry, he accepted the deficiencies outlined in the audit report, and assumed full responsibility for improving the delinquent system.

“Stringent supervision is lacking… At this particular junction, we are implementing an electronic project management system, specifically to deal with situations that arise out of this 2016 [audit] report,” Persaud told the meeting last Wednesday.
He agreed with PAC’s observations that the Public Works Ministry has, over the years, failed to adequately monitor issues relating to bonds with various contractors.
“I know it is a deficiency; it is one that I accept and recognise, and indeed, one of the main reasons why we have now implemented this electronic project management tracking system,” the PS acknowledged.
He said that oftentimes, expired bonds result in the ministry being unable to “levy” against contractors who have defaulted, or have executed substandard works.
“[The system] is to aid in minimising, and to a large extent, not just minimizing, but to completely eliminate situations whereby bonds are expired, and we’re not able to act [on it],” Persaud added.

He emphasised that the responsibility of the ministry to ensure that projects undertaken are properly supervised, and more importantly, are executed in accordance with the requisite laws.
“We have been taking… I have been taking some actions,” Persaud asserted.
The Permanent Secretary said that efforts will be made to develop the system in its entirety, and utilise it in other areas of the ministry. “We would be happy, at some point in time, to give a demonstration, once it is fully populated, etc., of the areas that we have seen that this software can be beneficial.”
Persaud noted, too, that efforts will also be made to partner with other government agencies, so as to ensure optimal use of the new system.
“Once we are finished that testing, we may even offer it to other agencies that want to be able track their projects similarly,” the Permanent Secretary said.
Persaud expressed hope that once operational, the system would eliminate cases of inefficiencies being flagged in the Auditor-General’s future reports.
“It is a very serious concern that the Ministry of Public Works acknowledges; our aim is to be able to come back to the PAC and not be regurgitating the same set of issues that seems to be continuous.”