PRESIDENT, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has visited a number of infrastructural projects within the past few days.

The visits gave the President an opportunity to have a first-hand assessment on the status of these projects, which when completed, will have a major impact on the quality of life of the Guyanese people.

These are all transformational projects involving billions of dollars. Among these are the new bridge across the Demerara River, the four-lane road linking the East Coast Demerara to the East Bank Demerara all the way to Greater Diamond and ultimately to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

These are massive projects which are funded by the Guyana Government with significant donor support by way of loans.

As such, it is the Guyanese tax payers that have to repay the loans, regardless of whether the loans are payable on long term concessional repayment terms.

Fortunately, our oil revenues are contributing significantly to loan repayments unlike what transpired during the PNC regime when the servicing of debts consumed over 90 per cent of government revenues.

It is therefore important that these projects are not only completed within the stipulated contractual timeframe, but that they are also done within the framework of the agreed financial envelope.

In other words, there must be value for money which is an essential ingredient from the standpoint of effective project execution and management.

In all of this, the element of opportunity, time is of utmost importance. In the case of the construction sector, weather conditions can be vital. The pace of construction work can be slowed down significantly during periods of excessive rainfall. Rain, however, cannot be used as a pretext for failure to meet project deadlines as is so often the case.

This is why it is important to, as it were, read the ‘riot act’ on contractors who lag behind construction schedules, especially when there is favourable weather conditions. This point was repeatedly made by President Ali during his several visits to a number of construction project sites.

During his visit to the East Coast Demerara-East Bank Demerara road link project, the President said that it was time to “double up” in order to meet deadlines. Doubling up means taking maximum advantage of daylight hours while at the same time making use of artificial lighting to compensate for loss of daylight hours.

Similar instructions were given on several of the projects visited by the President as he stressed the importance of project management skills by contractors and supervisory consultants.
It is the duty and responsibility of contractors to get the job done, failing which the government reserves the right to take recourse to the mechanisms available in the contract for compensatory action such as the imposition of liquidated damages or contract termination. In all of this, accountability of work performance is of critical importance.

Projects are expected to be completed within the contracted period and with due regard to cost and work quality. It is the taxpayers who are adversely affected and inconvenienced when projects are inordinately and unnecessarily drawn out for prolonged periods.

The PPP/C administration has been doing an extraordinary job in terms of mobilising funds for infrastructural development and when projects are behind schedules it must be a matter of concern to policymakers.

In the final analysis, the proverbial buck stops with the President and it is commendable that President Ali has been taking time off from his busy schedule to ensure that the interests of taxpayers are well represented.