– POLICE Command Centres in Several Regions, New Wales Fire station, Security Fence for Lusignan Prison amongst major projects

CONTRACTS for nine projects, amounting to $760,236,592 for capital projects under the Ministry of Home Affairs, were signed on Tuesday.

The signing of the contracts will see the facilitation of several projects under the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Fire Service, and Guyana Prison Service.

The signing ceremony was held at the Ministry of Home Affairs’ boardroom. There, Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, stated that he was pleased to witness the continued efforts to aid in the rebuilding of the institutions and agencies.

Benn added that while several projects, that began last year, were still being worked on, they were moving reasonably apace, despite a few delays. He said that he was fairly satisfied that much was being done to advance those projects, given those challenges.

“The reason we are here today is that cabinet had approved our capital projects for 2022, and these are the first of several in respect of the particular institutions,” the Home Affairs Minister said.

According to the figures provided by the Ministry, the project for the Guyana Fire Service amounted to $485,630,054. That included the construction of Wales Fire Station, which was awarded to AYN Construction for $69,080,354.

The fire service is also expected to procure some 148 Fire Hydrants for $99,900,000 through Compass Industrial Services. Additionally, the contract for the procurement of five firefighting vehicles was awarded to ANGLOCO for $316,649,700.

To that end, the Minister of Home Affairs told those gathered that, with the construction of the Wales fire station, the government was trying to be ahead of the curve and pay attention to the area’s future needs.

He said that came as there were several developments expected for that area, including the expected construction of an industrial estate, the gas to shore project, and more.
“We want to be ahead at Wales,” Benn said.

Meanwhile, he indicated that regarding fire hydrants, the government had started a project some time back where they went over the city and into new and upcoming housing areas to identify hydrants that needed to be repaired or replaced.

Additionally, the capacity of the Guyana Fire Service was expected to be bolstered by the procurement of the five new firefighting vehicles, which he said will aid in comprehensive coverage of urban areas and even critical interior locations.

Under the list of projects for the Guyana Police Force was the construction of command operations in Region Two;that project was awarded to NK Engineering Services at the sum of $32,453,846, while the command operations in Region Five were awarded to ACE Construction Service & Investment for $47,777,190.

The command operation project for Region Six was awarded to Brick & Mortar Construction Service for $21,177,692, while the project in Region Ten was awarded to Ele’s Trading and Hardware for $34,164,722. The total sum for the projects under the Guyana Police Force came was 129,573,450.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Prison Service is expected to see the construction of senior officers’ living quarters at the Lusignan Prison. This project was awarded to Singh & Son Construction for $96,230,253. Further, the contract for constructing a security fence at Lusignan Prison was awarded to Advanced Engineering for $48,802,835.

Minister Benn urged the contractors who signed the contracts on Tuesday to ensure that they provide quality service and have the projects completed in a timely fashion.