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... Man haffi eat a food at the trough in Audley's Manchester constituency
Election Slush Fund in Full Effect
High-Cost Road
Parliamentary committee shocked as Christiana bypass racks up $800m bill
Published: Thursday | June 2, 20110 Comments
Edmond Campbell, Senior Staff Reporter
IF THE world's fastest man, Usain Bolt, were to maintain his world record 100-metre run of 9.58 seconds over 1,000 metres, he would complete the distance in one minute 35.8 seconds, the equivalent length of a Christiana bypass road in Manchester which cost taxpayers nearly $800 million under the Jamaica Infrastructure Development Programme (JDIP).
The startling revelation came yesterday from executives of the National Works Agency (NWA) during a meeting of the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) of Parliament at Gordon House.
Chief executive officer of the NWA disclosed that the Government will spend US$9 million to complete work on one kilometre or 0.625 mile of roadway in the North East Manchester constituency of Finance Minister Audley Shaw.
Committee Chairman Dr Wykeham McNeill, who sought answers about the scope of the project, argued that the massive cost to fix one kilometre of road in Christiana could "probably fix 50 per cent of the roads completely in my constituency".
"The difficulty that I have and other members have is the fact that this job is being done by China Harbour at a cost of $800 million, which is substantially above the cost of the majority of roads in this country. It's four times the cost of the Bogue road and however you are doing it, there is no competitiveness in how the tender was done and no prior approval by Parliament - that must be troubling for any well-thinking parliamentarian," the PAAC chairman lamented.
China Harbour is the main contractor for the US$400-million JDIP project which is being rolled out over a five-year period.
However, NWA CEO Patrick Wong sought to defend the cost of the project, saying the Bogue road, which spanned five kilometres, had cost an average $400 million per kilometre when the contract was tendered in May 2008.
McNeill pointed out that four lanes were constructed in the Bogue road project, making the average cost per kilometre $200 million.
Justifying the price tag for the Christiana bypass project, Wong contended that the cost of cement, steel and other items had increased dramatically.
Further, he explained that the Christiana road project had "many bridges, extensive landfill, extensive excavation and extensive drainage solutions".
Wong told committee members that the one kilometre of road constructed in Christiana was not a bypass but a development road "because it allows the town to grow and develop to the highway".
He insisted: "The cost per kilometre is depending on the scope of work to be done. You can't compare one road with the other because if the scope of work is more intense, then the cost obviously will be more," Wong insisted.
Earlier during an exchange with committee members, the NWA head made it clear that the Contractor General Act and the Government Procurement Guidelines were not applicable in the award of subcontracts.
This comment led McNeill to charge that the process in which value for money was achieved came through the awarding of competitive contracts.
"In a process such as this, where the award was through the ExIm Bank to China Harbour, the issue of competitiveness is out," McNeill said.
He stressed that without the process of competitiveness and oversight from the contractor general, value for money could not be guaranteed.
However, he said the PAAC would have to find a way to provide oversight for the JDIP contracts.
Government and the parliamentary Opposition locked horns over the JDIP during April's sitting of the Standing Finance Committee of Parliament.
The Opposition accused the Government of hiding the JDIP in the Jamaica Public Bodies to avoid intense scrutiny. However, the administration has rubbished the claims, saying the project was being approached in a transparent manner.
Last month, Contractor General Greg Christie also went public, complaining that he could not get certain critical information on subcontractors and costs of the JDIP projects. Since that time, the NWA said it has submitted the requested material to the contractor general.
Election Slush Fund in Full Effect
High-Cost Road
Parliamentary committee shocked as Christiana bypass racks up $800m bill
Published: Thursday | June 2, 20110 Comments
Edmond Campbell, Senior Staff Reporter
IF THE world's fastest man, Usain Bolt, were to maintain his world record 100-metre run of 9.58 seconds over 1,000 metres, he would complete the distance in one minute 35.8 seconds, the equivalent length of a Christiana bypass road in Manchester which cost taxpayers nearly $800 million under the Jamaica Infrastructure Development Programme (JDIP).
The startling revelation came yesterday from executives of the National Works Agency (NWA) during a meeting of the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) of Parliament at Gordon House.
Chief executive officer of the NWA disclosed that the Government will spend US$9 million to complete work on one kilometre or 0.625 mile of roadway in the North East Manchester constituency of Finance Minister Audley Shaw.
Committee Chairman Dr Wykeham McNeill, who sought answers about the scope of the project, argued that the massive cost to fix one kilometre of road in Christiana could "probably fix 50 per cent of the roads completely in my constituency".
"The difficulty that I have and other members have is the fact that this job is being done by China Harbour at a cost of $800 million, which is substantially above the cost of the majority of roads in this country. It's four times the cost of the Bogue road and however you are doing it, there is no competitiveness in how the tender was done and no prior approval by Parliament - that must be troubling for any well-thinking parliamentarian," the PAAC chairman lamented.
China Harbour is the main contractor for the US$400-million JDIP project which is being rolled out over a five-year period.
However, NWA CEO Patrick Wong sought to defend the cost of the project, saying the Bogue road, which spanned five kilometres, had cost an average $400 million per kilometre when the contract was tendered in May 2008.
McNeill pointed out that four lanes were constructed in the Bogue road project, making the average cost per kilometre $200 million.
Justifying the price tag for the Christiana bypass project, Wong contended that the cost of cement, steel and other items had increased dramatically.
Further, he explained that the Christiana road project had "many bridges, extensive landfill, extensive excavation and extensive drainage solutions".
Wong told committee members that the one kilometre of road constructed in Christiana was not a bypass but a development road "because it allows the town to grow and develop to the highway".
He insisted: "The cost per kilometre is depending on the scope of work to be done. You can't compare one road with the other because if the scope of work is more intense, then the cost obviously will be more," Wong insisted.
Earlier during an exchange with committee members, the NWA head made it clear that the Contractor General Act and the Government Procurement Guidelines were not applicable in the award of subcontracts.
This comment led McNeill to charge that the process in which value for money was achieved came through the awarding of competitive contracts.
"In a process such as this, where the award was through the ExIm Bank to China Harbour, the issue of competitiveness is out," McNeill said.
He stressed that without the process of competitiveness and oversight from the contractor general, value for money could not be guaranteed.
However, he said the PAAC would have to find a way to provide oversight for the JDIP contracts.
Government and the parliamentary Opposition locked horns over the JDIP during April's sitting of the Standing Finance Committee of Parliament.
The Opposition accused the Government of hiding the JDIP in the Jamaica Public Bodies to avoid intense scrutiny. However, the administration has rubbished the claims, saying the project was being approached in a transparent manner.
Last month, Contractor General Greg Christie also went public, complaining that he could not get certain critical information on subcontractors and costs of the JDIP projects. Since that time, the NWA said it has submitted the requested material to the contractor general.
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