Local joint venture bids for West End Ferry terminal project
The Recovery and Development Agency (RDA) has received two bids for the West End Ferry Terminal Project after extending the deadline to January 17.
According to the RDA, one submission is from a joint venture of two local firms, and the other is from a Canadian firm.
Representatives from both entities reportedly attended the official bid opening, led by John Primo, the RDA’s Director of Procurement, at the Agency’s Cyril B Romney Tortola Pier Park office. CDB Contract Supervisor and Project Manager Sergio Dantas, RDA officials, and representatives from the design consultant, Inros Lackner SE, were also present.
The bid opening process used a two-part envelope system, with only the technical submissions opened for review. Inros Lackner SE will now undergo a thorough evaluation by Inros Lackner SE, expected to be completed by early February 2025. Following this, the financial proposals will be opened.
This development marks significant progress in the procurement process for the West End Ferry Terminal Project. The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), funding the project, provided its ‘No Objection’ in July 2024, allowing the tender process to proceed. The tender package, issued to four prequalified contractors, includes provisions for a temporary facility, as agreed with the BVI Ports Authority and the Ministry of Communications and Works.
The bid submission deadline, originally set for October 25, 2024, was extended to give shortlisted bidders additional time to review detailed project specifications and submit comprehensive proposals that meet the requirements of this critical infrastructure project.
The West End Ferry Terminal was the busiest seaport in the Virgin Islands before the 2017 hurricanes, handling over 40% of all sea arrivals into the Territory. Its destruction has affected travel between Tortola, Jost Van Dyke, and the US Virgin Islands, impacting both residents and visitors arriving by ferry, water taxi, private yacht, or charter yacht.
The construction of the new West End Ferry Terminal is part of the CDB-funded Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Loan (RRL) under the “Resilient Infrastructure” sector. It aims to provide “improved climate resilient and socially-inclusive infrastructure and institutions in the transport, water and sewerage, governance, education, and national security sectors in the Virgin Islands.”
In August 2024, the RDA met with residents of the First District to discuss the project’s progress. Shaina Smith-Archer, Director of Programme Delivery, and Sergio Dantas, Project Manager and CDB Contract Supervisor, led the discussions. At the time, the RDA revealed that it received nine bids for the terminal’s construction, with four contenders, including local and international firms, advancing to the next stage.
The construction phase, which is expected to last 24 to 30 months, will not disrupt current port operations. A temporary facility will be set up at the future barge ramp site.
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None of the above
Can we take it for granted that the government has demanded
bid bonds from the applicants, and, will receive a completion bond from the winning bidder.
This building will NEVER be built! It’s just sad that we are so caught up in foolishness that we would agree to that ugly stupid building for a small island like ours. What is wrong with simply doing a facility similar to Red Hook which handles much more passengers daily with the STJ/BVI runs?
need to award the contract to nolimit, keep it simple and just build a couple of the trellis bay welcoming center buildings with a walkway between each
Not to worry! The local job will win the bid because they under-bided and the variations will surpass the Canadian company’s bid once kickbacks are factored in.
Design wise, meh! Being in the hurricane zone, this structure will be tested and we all shall see the outcomes. Best of luck
We already have a proven builder that completed the now run down, new toilet block The ” EEF L ND” Welcome and Departure centre on eef island where you can’t actually shut the toilet doors. It meets all our usual standards for contstruction so why not use them. They could even use the same design principles used on eef Island and orient it so the docks for the ferries are on the land side, passengers sit out in the rain and sun on the East side and people dropping off people to catch the ferries, are dropped in the water. (They would be getting wet anyway if it rained.) Why not use that builder. Winning bidders will subcontract it to someone else anyway and Finance will issue checks before the work is completed so what is the worry.
It’s a Nazi styled eyesore that has no place in our islands.
It looks like an interrogation centre for the Stasi.
Or maybe that’s what they are planning.
Could we get an explanation for ‘funded by the CDB’? Is this a CDB grant? or a loan at significant interest and commitment rates? We cant see to do anything but borrow our way into debt
Why put a horrendous mod design in a caribbean terminal? The public consultancy was a joke – i voted 20 times and lost.