Project for new NEOC building still at procurement stage over a year later
After more than a year since the deadline for contractors to submit bids to construct the new building that will house the National Emergency Operations Centre’s (NEOC), the project is at still in the procurement stage.
Sealed bids for the project were to be submitted by May 21, 2019, for the building which is expected to be constructed at its Wailing Road location.
Speaking to BVI News on the matter, Director of Projects in the Ministry of Finance Dr Drexel Glasgow said the NEOC project is only now in the final stages of the procurement process.
“I think it’s just going through the processes. Definitely we had some setbacks as it relates to COVID, but it’s a big project and we wanted to make sure we get it right,” Dr Glasgow explained.
“It has been a while but going through the various stages — evaluation, clearances from the bank and now this part of the procurement process which is on the local part. The end of the procurement process finishes with an approval from the bank (the Caribbean Development Bank),” he further explained.
When asked about a possible timeline for the commencement of construction works for the project, Dr Glasgow said such information would not be available at this time, as the procurement process will have to be first completed, and then contracts signed.
Great interest in project
During the pre-bidding conference last year, a total of 18 potential contractors requested the bidding documents for the project. Of that number, 14 prospective bidders from local and international firms did a site visit for the project.
According to Dr Glasgow, he believes the project “will be a flagship of the territory’s resilience”.
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he likes to hold up things sah
simply put it in the unused floors of the hospital
cost = budget x 3 + $5,000,000. meantime lost tourism revenue will put the country into a hole that will be impossible to dig out of.
I have seen larger projects tendered and started in much less time.
The whole tendering and procurement process in the BVI seems to be taken as a joke. Tenderers are normally asked to hold prices firm for at least 3 months. This project is now over a year late from the return date.
I wonder if tender bonds were necessary on this project. Imagine being financially “tied up” with this project for a whole year and not be successful.
So many projects put out to tender by both Gov and RDA, and you hear nothing about them.