Over 40 petty contracts to be issued for East End sewerage project
More than 40 petty contracts are expected to be disbursed from the $6.1 million allocated for the rehabilitation of the National Sewerage Programme East End/Long Look Project that is projected to be completed by the end of 2021.
This is according to the Premier and Minister of Finance, Andrew Fahie who said during the recent relaunching ceremony of the sewerage project that this initiative will allow for many local contractors to gain employment.
He said: “There have enough parts of this project that have been burst up. I think it is over 40 petty contractors or even more — enough for everyone. But you have to register.”
“We made sure that we put a registration for all contractors in the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Transportation also have a register. So go and register because that is where now we would take the names from seeing that you are registered and updated,” the Premier stated.
Amendments made to make initiative legal
In addition to the recently implemented registers, Premier Fahie said that his government made a few amendments to the laws of the territory that legally enables this many contractors to benefit from one major project.
“The first thing that they’re going to ask is how could we break up this project in so many petty contracts? Isn’t that illegal? Well, if you do that in the real true form of how the Public Finance Management Act is, then the Auditor General can come and tell you in their words, in their definition that this is contract-splitting and there’s an issue with it,” he said.
He added: “In the middle of the COVID-19, we recognised that we had to do some adjustments and amendments to the laws and the regulations, so we created a new policy that during pandemics, during emergencies, during disasters, during catastrophic events, that you can allow for these to happen providing that there’s going to be strict project management and some strict vigilance over the project, so that we could be accountable.”
The money is approved to get project going
Premier Fahie also said it is long overdue to have the sewerage project finally started and that his government was going to ensure that the problem which existed for decades in the Seventh and Eighth districts is finally resolved.
He said his government secured $4 million of the $6,142,500 as a ‘grant’ allocation to have the project started. He added that the remaining $2,142,500 will be budgeted for.
“Now this government has come and yes we saw that $8 million float right down to the cruise ship pier and yes they paid back some but they never paid it back to the project. It went elsewhere, it did not come back to you the people of East End Long Look,” he said.
“When they went to go and do that the third time we were in and we told them no, not this time give us some money to start back this project, you had it long enough. We went there, we demanded the money and brought it over and put it into the East End/Long Look sewage project, $3 million of it. Then we went and we got some from the TRC – of which the Minister of Finance does have the authority to say where that money goes contrary to what persons say the law allows it – and put an extra million into the East End/Long Look project,” he explained.
Project to be done in three phases
Meanwhile, Works Minister for Transportation Kye Rymer explained that the project will be conducted in three phases.
He said: “Phase one, we will execute preliminary works to include the preparation of a staging area and the procurement of pertinent material and equipment. During this phase we will also be undertaking a household assessment of the required residential connection.”
“The purpose of this assessment is to obtain specific data as to the type of waste generated. The household demands based on the number of bathrooms and the most suitable location for connection to the public sewerage system among other requirements,” he added.
During this first phase, community meetings will be had so residents and business owners will be consulted to discuss viable access to their homes and businesses. In addition, signage will be placed through the affected communities to indicate the various road closures.
Phase two will include the installation of gravity lines, pumping mains and house lateral pipe lanes, manholes and pump stations which will be conducted between the Parham Town to Paraquita Bay areas.
The final phase will include an assessment and repair of the outfall lines at Brandywine Bay and the execution of repairs. It will also include the commission of the wastewater treatment plant system at Paraquita Bay. There will also be sludge drying beds that will be established in the Paraquita Bay area, the minister said.
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Marlon should be ashamed.
This was never a priority of Marlon and his ndp
I could not be when they out fishing to kill the Brown Bommer I live east and I see where they go to try killing the man but God watching over him you all keep it up God don’t sleep
FINALLY!!! Thanks Premier and your Government.
Kedrick and Marlon l** to we the people of the East so many years about this project.
So many signing ceremonies coming up. Only problem is that it will be the same people at all the signings. You couldn’t make this s**t up if you tried.
Isn’t this the same contract splitting andrew fahie was so strongly against when he was in the opposition?
Despite what negative the Opposition trying to make us believe about Fahie and his Government, one thing is clear that he is a fighter for what is best for the people of the BVI.
F—- another corrupt politician don’t let his words fool you. The same men and contractors keep getting rich.
“We made sure that we put a registration for all contractors in the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Transportation also have a register. So go and register because that is where now we would take the names from seeing that you are registered and updated,” the Premier stated.
This is English? What the f**k?????
some contracts were give away to fix the roads few month ago.as far as i am concern,i am driving on the same s….y roads every day.
1) Using petty contracts for Sewerage Works is a colossal waste of time and money. This mistake has been made by three NDP Governments and now Four VIP Governments.
2) The only way to properly fix the sewerage is to have a wholistic approach to it. Including, budgeting and funding the full amount to complete the works. I would bet my last dollar that in 5 election cycles we have already spent at least 50 million dollars on sewerage with little to show for it.
3) If we want to split the project to benefit the community, it needs to be split by its component parts, earth works, surveying, engineering, pipe laying, etc.
4) You cannot give each person a section of XYZ feet to do. We will end up with nothing less than shoddy and disjointed work. Many of our petty contractors are just NOT capable of following design instructions across a spectrum of works, much less the difficulties they make encounter based on site issues. Many of them get the contracts and just subcontract the other person or frankly “***k up” the works.
5) The project needs proper project management and oversight with competent and experienced sewerage professionals, that have the authority to hold contractors accountable… the accountability cannot be to Ministers and politicians.
6) This nonsense has to stop. Another 2 million down the drain. Watch and See!!
You are out of your mind. I am glad how the government is doing this project because finally the little man can get some transparent help.
so you think no little man in both parties.
Agree entirely. 40 Petty contracts. Here we go again. Four lane highway, school wall, Frasers wall, etc. No matter who is in power, the foolishness goes on.
What the Government is doing is what VIP does best, smoke and mirrors. Jumble up the project with so many contractors and so many different parts so that it seems like progress when it’s actually not. How is this different to the same school wall that they continue to hold over Walwyn’s head? If you are doing road works or sidewalks you can probably split contracts but one would think that something like sewage would be carried out more efficiently by a bidding process with a reputable and experienced entity getting the overall job and then government can encourage that entity to sub-contract to others. This is what the people voted for so leave them alone. Next elections we will be still talking about another phase of that project while money already spent.
Correct…. look at the High School wall!!!
It will never be fixed. Just wasting taxpayers monies feeding their crony friends the cycle goes on.Next election stay tuned.
40 contracts on one job. What a logistical nightmare. Setting up for disaster. Never know who is responsible for what. Clearly the best way to go is with one contraCT AND THEN YOU DEAL WITH ONE PERSON. hE IS RESPONSIBLE TO GET THE JOB DONE.
The scatter shot approach employed by both VIP and NDP successive governments in delivering wastewater/sewage services is costly and ineffective. Petty contracts have a place in procuring government services but they are inappropriate and ineffective for a large sewage project. A holistic approach to sewage management is needed.
Specifically, a qualified and experienced wastewater project construction prime contractor is needed. The prime contractor in turn will hire subcontractors. The prime contractor is responsible for the quality, progress of work, work put in place…..etc wotk consistent with plans and specifications. With a prime contractor, the owner, government, has to deal with only the prime contractor; subcontractors are the responsibility of the prime contractor, though government can have input on subcontractors hired. Petty contractors are not the best management practice on this project.
And where is all this money coming from? Keep spending while you have no income and see what will happen
TES WE HAVE TO LIVE WITH REHULATING THE MONEY BUT ER CANNOT LIVE IN S**T NO MORE WHERE I LIVE THE S**T WATER IS RUNNING DOWN IN THE BACK OF MY YARD, I SPOKE TO THE PEOPLE AMD THEY DUG A TRENCH SO THAT THE WATER CAN RUN IN A NEAR BY GHUT AND THAT IS HOW I GOT ABREAK. IT IS TIME SINETHING GETS DONE THANK FOR WHEATLEY. MARLON ONLY TALKING S**T WHAT HE DID WITH THE MONEY WHAT DR SMITH DID WITH IT INSIDE STORY SAID HE GIVE IT TO REPRESEMTATIVE THEY SHOULD BE A SHAME, PREMIER LET NNDP FIX IT . THANK GOD IT WILL GET FIX AND I HOPE IT WILL NOT RIN IN MY YARD AGAIN.dR PICKERONG NEED TO BE BLAME TO WHEN HE WAS IN POWER ALL HE WOULD SAY IF THE SEWRAHE IS NOT FIX THE COUNTYI WILL HAVE HEALYH PROBLEMS OF MASS PROPORATIONS WELL SEE WE HAVE PROBLEMS PF MASS PROBLEMS AND WATER RUNNUNG RIGHT IN FRONT HIS ROAD MARLON YOU AND THE NDP MEMBERS WILL PAT DEARLEY