— for construction of the Eccles to Great Diamond four-lane highway

OVER $13 billion in contracts were signed for the construction of the Eccles to Great Diamond, East Bank Demerara four-lane Highway, as the subject ministers charged the contractors to complete the project in an efficient and timely manner.

The signing of the contracts was done on Wednesday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Georgetown.
The contracts have been awarded to 12 contractors by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), following the national competitive bidding process.

Permanent Secretary, Andre Ally; Central Housing and Planning Authority’s Director of Operations, Denise King-Tudor and Director of Projects, Omar Narine were also at the signing.

Minister Croal, in his message, said that the project was critical to the reduction of the daily traffic woes faced by commuters as a result of increased commercial activities along that belt.

On its completion, he explained that more than 22,000 households will directly benefit, as well as the growing volume of commercial users.
“This project will also add to our government’s infrastructure portfolio and will see the input of skills, experience and knowledge of local and international contractors who I hope would use this opportunity to help each other,” Minister Croal noted.

Underscoring the value of the project, he noted that it covered a number of works and had a time line of 18 months.
“I want to implore you to be innovative and strategic in your approach. Time is of essence. So ensure you put in place systems so that work can continue beyond the usual 08:00 hrs to 16:30 hrs. Since you are using the local labour force, be sure to impress on them the importance of punctuality, avoid absenteeism and other unnecessary delays,” Minister Croal emphasised.

He continued: “I also want to remind you to treat your employees with respect, follow the labour laws and ensure that they are comfortable. Be mindful of the pandemic, make sure that all of them are vaccinated and observe all of the COVID-19 protocols. Remember, it is your duty to provide the necessary sanitisers, protective clothing and gear. To skimp on these can be to the detriment of the project and the welfare of your workers. Be sure to cultivate a working relationship with the residents and communicate any inconveniences that may occur as a result of the work you are doing, in a timely and respectful manner.”

TIMELY COMPLETION
The government, he noted was fully committed to bringing relief to the residents within the catchment area in the shortest time possible. Therefore, contractors are expected to work within their timelines and complete the works to the best of their ability.

“Be assured that the officers of the Ministry and CHPA stand ready to assist you with any challenges you may encounter along the way. Should you adhere to these guidelines, I’m confident that you will have a successful project and the communities and citizens will be better for it,” he added.
Meanwhile, in acknowledging the feedback the Housing Ministry has received since the opening of the interlink road, he said the interlink road from Eccles to Great Diamond was not intended to function as a main road.

“It is an access road that can be used to ease some of the traffic challenges that commuters face; it will not solve all of the traffic woes, at least not immediately. The infrastructural projects undertaken by the Ministry of Housing and Water are designed to match housing developments and communities with the accompanying infrastructural interventions. And therefore, it requires more time, more planning and a lot of patience, so I’ll beg your indulgence for now,” he explained.

The project was advertised using the National Competitive Bidding (NCB) process, where 34 bidders expressed an interest.
However, the project was opened on November 4, 2021 and the Evaluation Report was completed and submitted to NPTAB for award of contracts.
Prior to the award of contract, Cabinet also granted its no-objection.

The 12 projects are a total of GY $13,327,912,019.00. The awarded contractors are Guyamerica Construction Inc, V. Dalip Enterprise, (joint venture) Colin Talbot Contracting Services and Eron Lall Civil Engineering Works, S. Jagmohan Construction and General Supplies Inc, H. Nauth and Sons, JS Guyana Inc, (joint venture) VALs Construction and AJM Enterprise, China Railway First Group Company Limited, Aronco Services Inc, Ivor Allen, Puran Brothers Disposal Inc and Khemraj Nauth Contracting Services.