Contractors sign for $2.8m of work for NHDT
(CNS): Eighteen different local contractors have signed agreements to start work on government’s affordable housing at the Windsor Park site next week, but none of the contracts have gone through the CTC process. Although this development is worth close to $3million each of the contracts with the National Housing Development Trust is less than $250,000 which means government does not need to put the contracts up for bid and the ministry involved is able to chose the contractors. In his recent report on the management of government’s procurement porcess which focused primarily on contracts over $250K Alastair Swarbrick noted that the concerns he had over contracts going through the central tenders committee applied equally to those that were not.
The country’s public auditor had pointed out that aside from the obvious risk of corruption in the system, because there were few if any people working for government with procurement skills, the public was not getting value for money on government contracts.
The NHDT project in George Town is worth a total of $2.8 million to build 26 two- and three-bedroom concrete, affordable homes, replacing metal structures previously at the site, that will go to first-time Caymanian homeowners.
The community services ministry which oversees the NHDT said that the contracts were handed over at a special meeting last week. Mikr Adam the minister with responsibility said he was happy to help people get back to work and the contracts represented another milestone for the NHDT, which had already successfully completed 12 homes in East End and another 29 in West Bay.
“This project puts quite a few people back to work,” Adam said. “This is so desperately needed at this time and we’re happy to be assisting in that respect also,” he said.
See auditor general’s report on procurement below
Category: Local News
Why have two different housing boards (National Housing Devel Trust and Sister Islands Housing Committee) with two different Chairpersons. I mean, come on now – we are building to the same standard and should combine the lists of the needy in ALL 3 islands to determine who really needs a home to be built.
Actually, why are we building homes with all of the vacant rentals units out there. Government could place people in apartments and help more voters than hiring a couple construction firms where the only caymanians on the jobsite is the lone owner of the company (all of the labourers are expat).
If govt gave rental assistance of $500 per month to those needing a place to live, they could automatically help 466 apartment owners with $6000 each for the year with the $2.8million being used to build more homes while the vacant apartments remain empty. An that's 466 persons on the housing lists that are better off too.
Unna nah listening y'know.., come on Church
Projects for procurement over $50,000 have to be put out to public tender… the rule about CTC is when a project reaches $250,000, anything between 50K and 250K still must go to public tender. See Financial Regs.
Hah. You're reading those silly old things? Nobody cares about the Financial Regs any more.
"THE CONTRACTS WERE HANDED OVER AT A SPECIAL MEETING"……….Oh yeah???
The UDP caucus hand selects the contractors, then sends the list to the NHDT to award the contracts.
like a 'special meeting' at church….or at the ritz
I took a look at Mike Adam's budget and it sure is a thing of beauty. If you ever want to see an example of how to take from the needy and give to the greedy, this is the budget for you.
Here are the needy:
Residential Care Services for Children and Young Adults with Disabilities -Budget DEcreased from $839K to $606K
Placement and Supervision of Abused Children -Budget DEcreased from $376K to $248K
Foster Care Services -Budget DEcreased from $440K to $98K
Care and Services for Elderly and Adult Disabled Persons -Budget DEcreased from $3991K to $3617K
Developing and Enhancing Employability and Life Skills for Support Towards Autonomy Retraining and Self-Sufficiency Programme (STARSS) Participants -Budget DEcreased from $303K to $114K
Individual, Couples, Family and Group Therapy -Budget DEcreased from $496K to $422K
Family Programmes -Budget DEcreased from $252K to $103K
Now look at the greedy:
Policy Advice on Matters Relating to Social Services -Budget INcreased to $160K from $59K
Policy Advice to the Minister of Community Affairs, Gender and Housing -Budget INcreased to $79K from $49K
Policy Advice to the Minister of Community Affairs, Gender and Housing -Budget INcreased to $171K from $71K (I’m not certain why this line item appears twice, first under CFS1 and here again under MCA1. I guess it doesn’t look as bad this way.)
Provision of Reports -Budget INcreased to $456K from $293K
Clinical Assessments and Reports -Budget INcreased to $422K from $269K
This really should not be a surprise to anyone. They have been doing this since they were voted into power. What other government official would cut civil servants salary to make budget and then turn around and double dip themselves. He took food and clothes from his dedicated civil servants and their families and gave 4 million dollars to churches with the majority of it being given to his own church. This government is completely self serving. One can only hope that the peoples memory is long and their judgement is not clouded by the cash and favors that will be handed out next election.
great work….. better than any journalist on the island…..
Probably the same contractors who showed up at the Public Beach to support the Premier's anti-protest protest.
If the Scope of Work and Contract Price is the same for all eighteen contractors, in other words one house for x dollars, and if the Contract Price has been calculated using standard rates and prices provided by, ornegotiated with, a knowledgeable, competent, impartial and objective professional estimator, then I think that this procurement method is a relatively efficient way to get a lot of construction workers back to work quickly and fairly.
The difficulty comes for the project management team that is to oversee such a diverse range of contractors.
If the price is too low, and/or some of the contractors are not able to meet the standard of efficiency required to getthe job done for the price they have agreed, then we are going to see a lot of unfinished homes and/or signifcant cost overrruns.
Quality and stage payment control by CIG will be the key to the success of this procurement method.
Project Management??? No bobo, that might lead to accountability – We cant hav dat!!
When I drive through the "low income" housing schemes and see BRAND NEW vehicles parked off in front the homes, I feel disgusted!! If you can afford/qualify for a car loan, go rent an apartment and leave these homes for people that REALLY need them. Also, they are a few that I know that only take them to rent them out to make an additional income, things like this needs to be looked into.These homes should be for people who can't qualify for car loans, or a regular house loan or can't afford vacations or to party every night of the week!!
cayman kind…..
how do you know those new cars weren't 'gifts'??
That Mike Adam is a pretty quick study. He's already picking up tricks from Mac.
What makes you think poor old Mike had a choice?
Everyone knows UDP is, MAC!!! He is in charge and makes the decisions, not anyone else.
My friend:
Birds of a feather…
If you lie down with dogs…
You are known by…
Someone should have proofed this copy more carefully before posting…
gimmee gimmeee gimmeeeeee some MONEY!! yes! I love the money!!