$1M contract for German firm to design, manage WE Terminal works
After setbacks caused by the onset of COVID-19, plans to rebuild the West End Ferry Terminal are finally moving forward.
Premier Andrew Fahie announced on Thursday that German company, INROS Lackner SE, was awarded a $1,048,909 contract to provide project design and management services for the rebuild.
“This does not include the construction cost. The RDA will tender that, and a successful contractor will move toward building the facility and that amount will be made known when the time comes,” said Premier Fahie who is also Representative for the First District where West End is located.
Fahie, who was speaking in the House of Assembly, added: “I must say for the construction cost it is important to inform this Honourable House that there is a revenue figure is already put aside in terms of the loan figure from CDB (Caribbean Development Bank). So the project is moving forward and will continue to forward for the next 36 months.
The terminal will be rebuilt into what the Premier describes as a modern port.
Before being destroyed during the September 2017 hurricanes, the West End port accounted for “at least 40 percent of all arrivals” in the territory, Fahie stated.
His government was able to open a temporary port facility at West End so that maritime services could resume while officials worked on getting a permanent facility in place.
This temporary facility was set up in August 2019, just six months after the now governing Virgin Islands Party was elected into office.
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Albert you think we in the west buying this at the last resort moment? …ha ha ha. Look at Smugglers, it is government property, managed by the national park. Who occupying it? A NO WARIAN AND CAUSING HAVOC, STILL THREATENING LOCALS AND GUEST ALIKE. DOING ILLEGAL THINGS AND BERRING SEWAGE PIPE IN THE SAND WHICH THE DEPARTMENT KNOW ABOUT. AND HERE WE ARE THE 1ST DISTRICT HAVE SOOOO MANY TOURIST MINDED ENTREPRENEURS AND LAW ABIDING CITIZENS TO GIVE BACK AND IMPROVE OUR AREA. WHAT A CRYING SHAME ON THIS GOVERNMENT??
Foreign architecture in BVI is a tragedy. Hideously ugly crusader forts and ww2 gun emplacements like Buck Island and elsewhere. Dreadful unimaginative pastiches of Bali and out of place Chinese pavilions. New England hermetically sealed boxes ruining Trunk Bay. Boring brown buildings in Road Town.
Make the terminal say it’s BVI, not guess where you are in this as usual concrete monstrosity.
We could do a lot worse than make it match Sopers Hole on the other side of the water.
Since they’re Germans my money is on the ww2 gun battery look. If it were Italian it would project out over the water with a glass floor so you could look down on the Italian navy and if it were French they’d give up and let the British finish it for them.
If we sign up the Americans they will tell everyone they are saving West End but everyone will be leaving after twenty years hanging off the sides of the ferries. Again.
Brilliant!
Premier can’t be serious! What the H**l is going on in this Place? Why is these People making Voters regret their marks? Sorry, but this is a darn slap in the face. No trust in giving a Local the chance to put their knowledge and experience to use in establishing a monumental Port. No monies for increments! No fundings for a Public Library. VIP(sorry for those just sitting in the house with their lips seal) making the Territory suffer with shame.
One thing i know for sure is there is a time when each and every bvilander becomes boss and that time is election day. Be careful
Irrelevant
Please God, I hope they do NOT OK an UGLY Design that the populace will have to live with for generations. We want something that is very aesthetically pleasing and a joy to see and use. Why wasn’t a local firm used?
Why they not use Smith Arneborg? They built Spirts and it so fine ppl take pictures of it from all over the world. Foreign companies don’t understand what we and our visitors want.
I meant Sopers not spirits
@true dat.. fine people all over the cruise ship take picture of the signage WELCOME TO TORTOLA. Who design it? You don’t understand tenders?
Everyone in the design and construction field here in the BVI is in complete shock that this was not awarded to the one local firm that qualified to tender on it. It is clear from the numbers that the winning firm massively low bid it and the RDA, CDB and BVI Gov fell for it!
Sorry – I have to disagree. Over $1million for design and project management services for the rebuild given the space is NOT a massively low bid. It is reasonable. If the qualifying BVI firm’s tender was considerably more then the BVI firm has inflated pricing that is not competitive when tenders are offered out globally.
The million dollar fee is misleading. The German companys fees are actually $548K. The RFP allocated $500K of contingencies. So if the local firm had won the bid it would have also included another $500K on top of it.
Why was there only one local firm considered? There are more that could easily do this. It’s not a big job for these guys.
I’m in the trade and I am not surprised at all. local companies are not wanting to work for government because they think they won’t get paid, they perceive the contracts to be dodgy and the government is interfering and politicised. The government doesn’t want to work with locals because they only want their friends to win and right now are under scrutiny from the COI .
The German price looks about right.
Ask them for advice on how to do over the highway road. Them germans can give you a stong new highway road.
I’m curious, how did a German Firm come to bid on a contract for work in the BVI. What happen to firms here in the BVI and around the Caribbean? Are they not qualify for this job? Will this company be paying any taxes in the country and what incentive did we give up for this? What about locals first, or was this just an election ploy. Just asking for a friend.
Since this project is being funded by the Caribbean Development Bank then the RFP is open to countries that contribute to the bank. They are called lending countries ( Canada, UK, Germany, etc ). So companies from lending countries are eligible to submit tenders.
Once you’ve decided to go outside the bvi what difference does it make if the bidder comes from Germany or the Caribbean or anywhere else? Why would the Caribbean be treated differently?
Them been in the Caribbean a while now. Lots of german compabies doing various projects at different islands i hear. They are even in south america i hear.
Germans been in South America since the end of WWII
From a local architectural firm offering to design it for free to a well known cellphone case maker / land owner offering to pay for most of it ( with a design he produced ) to now having to loan over $1 million dollars at God knows what ridiculous interest rate. What a disaster and an embarrassment!!
As i see, Mr.Premier tek we for fool. Let’s respectfully vote these cl**ns out next election
He is always talking about the Slave and the Slave Masters..We are now giving the slave Masters Stake and Green Salad to eat while locals watch on hungry and suffering…CSC can u ask the Premier Why?
So what kind of construction budget is being considered?
Thats what weve been getting from these last two administration…The Sad part is this one didn’t learn from the previous one….Seems like its only Britain can deliver us from our own Evil..
So Premier
Couldn’t you have found one (1) honorable man or woman in the bvi to fro t this. And even though the person doesn’t have all what it takes send them to get the skill bring them back and give them the job. No. You have to go all the way to Germany to dig up a company to come to build a couple of offices on the sea front and make shifts dock.
What a ting.
All that is needed is good piling.. after this concrete steel and man power.
Well mison.
Huh?
I just have one question concerning the old people’s home at Spooner’s. Where did those millions of dollars go? Are you planning on decorating the wall around the land where the home should have been so long. Finally, who pocket fatten with that project money. well sah not even one house! Tell me something Fahie
Spooners is another dead project that BVI politics has killed.
However, we just love our ‘golden gems’.
I hope the many submissions the Government requested and received from local architects about 12 years ago will be considered. I saw a couple; they were excellent, with a real sense of place, mindful of the functions and provided for future growth.
German firm project managing the build……. Lol, they’re going to have a shock
I cannot imagine that one firm here in the BVI could not be convince to design a port for West End. Bathrooms 6,( three for women two for men), offices, customs 3, immigration 3, two restaurants, parking for 50 vehicles, seperate booth for customs and immigration 6 total make them 5×8 so as to give some privacy. 6 shops for tourist items. It it not hard to do, ensure that it looks like the Caribbean, it should be colourful.
When you give a contract to foreign company that money do not stay here it go foreign, and I am guessing there is a 50% deposit transfer before they start. That is 500K out the door. that wont spend in the BVI for circulate.
Why do we then need local construction if they are not given the big contracts?