‘Limited Tendering’ Provided Shortest Route to Completion

Dean Barrow

As to the tendering for the award of the lucrative contract, you heard the Prime Minister say he solicited estimates from two contractors before settling for Hernandez. He had also consulted with U.D.P. mayoral candidate Dion Leslie. He calls this process, limited tendering, to expedite the works. The contract was signed last Thursday and by Friday morning, the excavators were rolling on the stretch of road.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“Because this was/is a matter of urgency we proceeded by way of the shortest possible route which is the limited tender procedure, and I will tell you, nobody need act as though this is unprecedented, this is unheard of.  Those two roundabouts, the one at the Faber’s Road junction with the George Price Highway and the one at the Chetumal Street junction with the Phillip Goldson Highway, those were done by Cisco Construction on the basis of a limited tender.  Five million dollars, the same figure that the Finance and Audit Act talks about, was the contract price for landfill that was also awarded to Cisco on the basis of the limited tender procedure.  Again, we felt that there was a need for speed with respect to those projects and the same thing happened regarding the Chetumal Street Bridge.  That was sole sourced, that was limited tender procedure.  All those things were, as well, included in phase three of the South Side Poverty Alleviation.  At that time, while we wanted to move quickly we never had the gumption to go to ask as we have done now, for OFID to approve this and to allow us to proceed on the reimbursement basis.  We didn’t need to because at that time Petrocaribe was rolling, you see and we had our own funds.”