| In the wake of several multimillion dollar projects being stalled due to defaulting contractors,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) executive member Joseph Harmon has blasted the Government for its role as a third party, holding them fully culpable for the financial losses that the nation has to bear.According to Harmon, who is also the APNU’S Shadow Minister of Public Works, the contracts were going into default because they were badly negotiated in the first place by the Government, who created conditions favourable to the contractors.“We are paying for bad contract negotiations and we are paying for a slack government that has allowed these things to take place. Because in many instances there is a kick back involved in this,Jerseys From China, so they overlook basic issues such as protection for the Guyanese people.”APNU’S executive member Joseph HarmonHarmon highlighted the importance of negotiating contracts with persons capable of delivering. He also blasted the role the Attorney General played in the negotiations.“The Attorney General has to be involved. In the case of the Mariott, where there was no provision for Guyanese labour, he said that he was not involved. Purely Chinese labour was used. You have to have better negotiations, and a National Procurement Commission where complaints can be made and dealt with.”He explained that the contracts which were cancelled due to defaulting contractors were the Government’s fault in the first place, since the Government bears responsibility for negotiating it. According to him,Nike NFL Jerseys China, the Government has put itself in a position whereby it has to take it up in court. He also cited Surendra Engineering as one of the more notorious cases of voided contracts.“It was a laughable thing when the Government said it is going to sue Surendra Engineering. Because they are the ones who defended Surendra Engineering. They gave millions of dollars upfront. So when they talk about suing the companies, they should be sued because they did ‘piss poor’!”In September 2012, the Government first entered into a contract with Surendra Engineering for the construction of a specialty hospital at Turkeyen, ECD, to the tune of US$18M. The Government advanced 20% of the contract price–approximately US$3.6M and in November 2013 an additional US$649,440 was paid.Surendra Engineering, a company with no experience in constructing specialty hospitals,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, was awarded the contract ahead of Fedders Lloyd, a reputable Indian company that had constructed specialty hospitals around the world.The contract was finally terminated following attempts by Surendra to issue fraudulent performance bonds purported to come from ‘World Bankers Re Company Ltd’, which in fact was a bogus company.Following the termination of the contract, Government moved to the Commercial Division of the High Court with Surendra being named as the defendant. Government was claiming damages in excess of G$100M, as well as special damages amounting to over US$4M.Surendra had by then flown the coop and vacated its local office in Berbice when court officials visited to serve the Writ, so when the matter was called twice,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, on January 21st and 23rd of 2013,Cheap Jerseys USA, and no one appeared on behalf of the company, the court awarded judgment in favour of the Government of Guyana.Surendra Engineering has however filed for bankruptcy and the Government is still to receive the court awarded judgement.The firm is also facing questions over a US$4M contract for the supply of fixed and mobile drainage pumps that would have significantly boosted the capacity to help reduce flooding. It is still unclear whether all the pumps have arrived. |
