Government’s road project must be re-tendered, says Penn

A recently paved road surface on Tortola.

Eighth District Representative Marlon Penn has called on the government to retender its 30-mile road project, expressing concerns about transparency, accountability, and potential mismanagement of public funds.

During a recent sitting in the House of Assembly, Penn insisted that a proper tender process be conducted to ensure the public gets value for money on the significant infrastructure initiative.

Penn questioned the existing tender process, noting that only one contractor had applied for the project. He criticised this as insufficient, suggesting that it might lead to inefficiencies and a lack of competition. “I have serious concerns with this one-man tender process,” Penn told lawmakers. He added that it was critical for the government to ensure that public resources are handled responsibly.

The road project, valued at around $30 million, has faced delays and issues with engineering and design. Penn pointed out that a similar road project between Paraquita Bay and Hodges Creek, costing just under $3 million, encountered numerous problems. He emphasised that these past issues raised doubts about the ministry’s ability to manage larger, more complex projects.

Penn proposed that the project be managed by the Recovery and Development Agency (RDA), an independent body tasked with overseeing major infrastructural developments. He explained that the RDA has a proven track record, citing the successful Fish Bay project, which solved long-standing flooding issues in the area.

“We have seen the work that the RDA did on the CDB loan. Every one of those projects has held up,” Penn argued.  “The Fish Bay project, every time it drizzled, that place used to flood. We’ve had major rains since. We have not had an issue with terms of flooding in that area since the RDA has done that project.”

The Eighth District Representative also called for more transparency from the government, pointing out that the House had not been provided with a detailed breakdown of how funds for the road project would be allocated.

Penn further argued that major projects need to be executed in a way that will get value for money and demonstrate transparency in the process.

“We’ve seen what has been happening with major projects within the government system,” he stated. “It’s failed us. It has continued to fail us over the last six years. No major project has been delivered by the government over the last six years. If there’s one, I would sit and wait to hear.”

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