Port to go out for tender
(CNS): In the wake of the premier’s U-turn yesterday following significant pressure from the UK, McKeeva Bush confirmed Wednesday that documents were now being drawn up to enable the cruise berthing project in George Town to go out for full tender. Although the Port Authority had previously put out a request for ’expressions of interest’, a formal request for proposals has never been undertaken. Following a repeat of Tuesday evening’s sudden announcement by Bush that he was abandoning the current talks with China Harbour Engineering Company over the project, the Beijing firm expressed its disappointment by the turn of events and pointed to the expense it has occurred under its formal agreement.
In the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday morning, the premier confirmed that government was now preparing to engage in an open and competitive tender after the abandonment of the talks with CHEC.
He said that the project manager, Alastair Patterson, accountants at KPMG and lawyers from Maples and Calder were now working on the documents and that the request would be done as soon as possible. Bush said that he would not be involved in this part but his major concern was to ensure value for money. He said he still hoped to get the project started, which should create the hundreds of jobs it would have done had he been allowed to carry on with the CHEC talks.
After Bush announced that he would finally address the UK’s concerns regarding the port project and abandon the talks with CHEC in favour of an open competitive process, as well as implement the Fiscal Framework for Responsibility, an FCO spokesperson said that Mark Simmonds, the UK’s overseas territories minister, welcomed the premier’s statement “with regard to the proper procurement and competitive tendering of the cruise ship port development, as well as his commitment to implement the FFR, as signed, into Cayman Islands Law.”
Bush claimed his U-turn, following his defiant stance since the publication of a letter from Simmonds last Friday, was made with a heavy heart. He said his government had been stymied unless they followed the FCO's "prescribed approach to the letter”.
“I must therefore regretfully say that the government is left with no choice but to abandon the present contract negotiations, which were on the verge of being completed.”
CNS understands that Bush was placed under significant pressure during a long distance call with Simmonds in London on Tuesday. Although the UK has not been specific about what it would do if Bush failed to follow the correct process concerning the port, the governor was called to London unexpectedly for an unscheduled meeting with the UK minister, source close to the FCO told CNS.
Whether this was to examine the “alternatives” that Simmonds said he was considering is not clear, but Bush’s long awaited capitulation over both the port and the FFR may have saved Cayman from the brink of much greater direct British interference in the territory’s affairs.
Meanwhile, following news that government was stopping the talks with CHEC and moving to a competitive bid, the Beijing-based company said that while it understood the UK’s authority, it felt that the history of its involvement and cost had not been fully considered.
Regional Director of China Harbour Engineering, Zhongdong Tang, said the negotiations between government and CHEC resulted in a Framework Agreement (FA) and CHEC has spent a vast sum of money associated with the port project.
“CHEC also incurred significant expenses developing a detailed design for marine and other upgrade works at Spotts Dock,” Tang said, adding that a considerable amount of proprietary and commercial data had been produced by CHEC and it should not be subjected to the possibility of any other entity being able to use its data for the development of the port project.
“CHEC is, therefore, requesting that the Cayman Islands Government takes all such steps as may be required to prevent the use of the data by any person, entity or official without CHEC’s consent,” Zang stated, falling short of threatening legal action against the Cayman government.
However, pointing to its “continuing legal relationship” with the government under the FA, CHEC said the most equitable way to move forward was for discussions to be held with government, CHEC and all relevant authorities who share concerns to remove any doubt that CHEC’s proposal would deliver value for money.
See full statement from CHEC below.
Vote in the CNS poll: Should-Mckeeva-Bush-resign-now?
Category: Politics
No honest company will bid this or any other CIG project as long as McKeeva Bush is the Premier. It would be an excercise in frustration and a colossal waste of money for them to do so. The business world now knows what Mr. Bush is about and his business style does not attract anything but disreputable "inward investment". We can only hope that when Mr. Bush is finally prosecuted, his private sector partners will also be exposed and punished.
So it is true empty barrels DO make the most noise!
Only if they are beat on.
While I agree that we do get business from cruiseship passengers, I propose that the tourist industry in Cayman does not necessarily rise and set with the cruisers. I am sure that not ALL the cruise lines will abandon Cayman because we offer a safe, secure experience for passengers. What we need to weigh up is the cost of changing our lifestyle so radically for one segment of commerce. Do we really need the Oasis class of vessel here? Cayman could really make up for numbers with quality. Now, I agree that the customer is almost always right, and I am not ignoring that. I am just saying that this is not a small adjustment for the majority of Caymans population and we should not put all of our eggs in one basket.
What all are forgetting is that shortly there will be a new Government. That is abundantly clear and Mr Bush needs know that. His Government should make no further decisions with regard to the future of any new port facility, the airport or any major new government project.That is abundantly clear.
The future of our islands will be determined by those elected in May next year, a mere few months away. The port project is a long term issue and it’s future must not be determined by a few individuals whose history consists of cronyism, merely because they sit on the board of directors.So should the current Government enter into a poor contracts with anyone in the immediate future they run the risk of seriously handicapped the ensuing government.
My comments are supported by history following the cancellation of a new hospital project many years ago when a new government replaced it’s predecessor and was subsequently and successfully sued for breach of contract.
In conclusion in my opinion it is far too late for the UDP to enter into any major contract in the immediate future. Their opportunity and day has gone. Cayman does not need their baggage and liabilities. So let us ride the next few months with no major projects and elect a competent government.
Not to mention the new regime in China that will come into play this month.
Ok, let me put it to you this way. If the berthing facility is done right and gives us only the basic piers (not the monstrosity of a development and retail facilities that was being planned by CHEC and CIG), then it would not have to be such a radical impact on George Town's existing infrastructure. I speak a lot with the merchants downtown, and they say they get more business from just 1 Royal Caribbean ship, than all the smaller ships put together. Suppose too, that all the smaller ships pull out and divert to other destinations instead because they are not willing to continue with the tender services provided, then GT merchants will suffer even more than they are now, and that will have a major effect on the rest of the economy. So the "lifestyle adjustment" that you fear, will actually become a harsh reality when we keep on ignoring the wishes of the customer. Make no mistake, they can and will take their business elsewhere if Cayman doesn't get its act together. I agree with you though, we can't put all our eggs in one basket. Stayover tourism also VERY CRITICAL to a strong tourism product and for far to long has been neglected by Government.
The issue of the cruise ship dock has several other aspects to it as well as the level of disruption to daily life in Georgetown (although some will surely say there is almost no life left in Georgetown) and one of them is the type of dock being proposed. I fully agree that a smaller finger pier development is much more preferable than the mega shopping center that Mac was proposing to give the Chinese in return for building it. My concerns are also about the type of pier they want to put out there and whether it will stand up to bad nor'westers and hurricanes. If it is not a solid dock, then it will always be susceptible to losing the walkway from swells coming up under it. If it is not on pilings, there will be a constant back wash of waves breaking against it and the effect will be that of a washing machine. With out a breakwater surrounding it, (God knows what that would cost and the damage done to the Marine environment during and after construction) this site looks to be a lose – lose propositon. Now comes the real problem. If it is such a bad site, then the alternatives start raising their ugly heads. Very few people want it relocated to Red Bay or North Sound. Both of those proposals are even more distasteful and damaging to the environment. So I come back to the, so far, fruitless proposal of a really good tender dock and facility in Georgetown. If this is not to be, then please let it be a minimal finger pier with no merchant facilities on it and leave that money making to the existing downtown merchants that this is being proposed for.
You do no knowers what you speaketh. There are varying designs available today, and the most desirable would be a floating type where during inclement weather the passage way is removed and water can flow through, obviously on pilings
I have said this a couple of times and now seems like the right time to say it again, we DO NOT NEED a cruise ship dock! It is really going to ruin life as we know it on the Cayman Islands. The amount of shippers that will engulf our shores will be paralyzing. Have you been to St. Maarten when 4 large ships are docked at once in Philipsburg? Dutch St. Maarten shuts down. Now I know a few merchants will be rubbing their hands together, and rightfully so, but eveyone else will have to find another way to go about their daily business. Our planners have decided to reroute traffic and redesign downtown to accommodate all the people that they think will come ashore. That is going to take years to accomplish and be a real impediment to the locals trying to come and go in their daily lives. We do need to separate the cruisers from the container port, no doubt, but all we really need is a good tender landing area. Good, separate facilities from the container port with places to sit down and cover from the rain and sun are all that are needed. The tender services that are provided do a really good job for the cruise lines. We have a chance now to rethink this. A landing facility willbe a lot less destructive to the marine life to construct and a lot less destructive to the country's budget and will serve the same purpose for our guests. Think about it and get behind it. This is a second chance to get this right.
You are making the classic Caymanian-mindset mistake, just like our present breed of politicians. It is not about what you want, or what you even think. It is what the cruise lines want, after all, they are the customers, not you. They have already said they want berthing facilities and that the tender / ferry facilities are no longer going to be acceptable. So with all due respect, your going on about tender service being okay to carry on, is ignoring the fact that it is what your customer needs, not you, that is important. Go on playing this deluded Caymanian-mindset game that no matter what happens, the cruise lines will always come here. There are far better cruise destinations that offer comfort, ease, and safety to their passengers. In fact, I am surprised they haven't already pulled Cayman from their itinerary. The one good thing you did say, was that we need to separate the container port from the passengers area. That I agree wholeheartedly with.
Can you show me, "They have already said they want berthing facilities and that the tender / ferry facilities are no longer going to be acceptable." in some tangible form because I work in the shipping industry and this is a new one on me.
Reality is that the major cruise lines are, with or without a cruise dock, losing interest in Grand Cayman simply because it's no longer considered a viable (as in profitable) destination.
Who in Gods name told you that the Cruise Ship Companies said that they would stop coming here if we did not build the cruise ship dock?
This is scare mongering hogwasy.
Remember the cruise ship companies listen to their customers too. If the present less than ideal was that negative an experience, why are we the 4th largest cruise ship destination in the Caribbean?
I agree that we need to provide a dedicated landing dock away from the cargo dock, but a tendering service that rivals that of a short airplane ride, ie airconditioned enclosed capsules with airplane/bus type individual seating, and an airconditioned pier that extends to the main road would cost much less than the $300 million expense planned, even if China Harbor finds the financing.
3 and half years and back to square one…..thank you UDP!
3-1/2 YEARS, and back to square one…thank you , you h@@@s who didnt want to see this port happened ..for the sake of trying to remove the UDP.
You knew they would bring the economy back on its feet, and you wont stand a chance. God speed to Alistar to get this tendering expedicted. then we will see who has the last laugh.
Come on Foolio, dont be such a sore loser. CHEC not coming back in, no matter how hard you and Mac try.
What make you so sure…. dum, dum!
Because the U.K. are not idiots, how'sthat for an answer?n They already gave the royal smack-down, and they will do it again, this time the smack-down might be so hard you will have a "royal" time recovering from it.
What did you say? the UK are no Idiots!!!
Take a look at your leaders, now trying to claw themselves out of the EU, damn fools gave away your country and every thing you had in it to the Europeans, West and the Eastern block.
The UK was corn cobed by the Europeans, by getting you all to join them, telling you lies about equal trade agreemants … while their only intentions, are to bring her to her knees, this could'nt be done in 1945…. but they sure doing a damn good job at it 2012.
80% of your people wants out…it is so bad. Now tell me who are the idiots?
expedicted? What dat is?
"this port" as you put it, has been supersized with unwanted, unneeded, and unaffordable upland development, probably for the sake of increasing someone's "finders fee", to the point where we have to give it to a communist government company for 49 yrs. You are right, we dont want it and it has nothing to do with the UDP other than they are the idiots proposing the fiasco. What we want is what we really need and that is a basic pair of finger piers. Common sense vs. corruption my friend.
You forgot "real estate consultant fees" – hee hee !!!
Hey Alistair, some friendly advice for you with absolutely no charge or fee expectations on my side….while you speed to get this tendering "expedicted" as our poster friend puts it, please try to resist any instructions to "tailor" the tender documents or qualifying criteria in such a way as to make it near impossible (if not 100% impossible), for anyone else to bid other than CHEC.
Hey Alistair,
Some great advice,from a professional duilder's… point of view. Who has been tendering projects locally for the last 30 years…. who had to follow stringent regulations and guide lines, set out in the CTC tendering process, and procurement. Im telling you, you have to continue to do the same.
All tenderers HAVE to qualify, in the terms of; having the ability, and experience to build this port, have the best finances to build this port, show in black and white, that they WILL utalize as much local small, building contractors to assist them in developing this port.( No fronting allowed) given a dead line to submit their proposal.
Thank you Alistair and God speed with your tendering process!
i wanted a port from day one……..(but when dart walks away there is something seriously wrong)
btw ,the people of cayman will have the last laugh when they vote the udp out of office!
I am begging the UDP leader and puppetts to please cease and desist from entering into any more deals and concentrate on your campaigm for the next elections. We can't take any more taxes and screw-ups, leave the dock until after the elections and hopefully we'll have competent people in place to deal with it at that time. Last week I went to relicense my vehicle and the annual taxes went from $225.00 per year to $440.00, $10.00 short of a 100% increase! Meanwhile they're travelling first class, 5 star hotels, and 5 star restaurants as usual, and its so sad the millions of $$$ wasted on all the bad deals. The poor Caymanians paying for it all, those with money and can afford it are granted concessions and exemptions from taxes. What a mess.
They only understand two words = "HIGHEST BIDDER"
Its actually the lowest bid that we want, ie; costs the least.
I seem to remember CHEC fronting a couple of million dollars for Spotts, is that correct or did that get returned to them. does anyone remember what came of that, or was it a different company. If it was CHEC do we now have to pay that back to them?
Anyone….CNS do you have this information by chance?
I seem to remember that too. I hope we dont have to pay that back, I wish we knew how much this government has flushed down the toilet. I bet it would pay for at least one new school.
Has anyone actually got any proof that the cruise dock will increase arrivals or is it going to end up as just another eyesore on the landscape?
I've seen plenty of vague claims but no actual documentary evidence that any major cruise line will even consider changing its schedules once the dock is built.
The assumption (and you can see it posted here) seems to be that if you build the dock the ships will automatically come and use it.
It looks to me like the one thing missing from this whole fiasco is a proper cost/benefit analysis based on input from the cruise lines.
Why will no one ask them? Possibly because they already know that the answer would kill this whole project dead in its tracks.
The largest of the two royal caribbean ships were coming here which is why the Royal Watler was built. It was suppose to have 2 piers for four ships. somehow (again) on KEKE's watch we didn't get it . So the ships said they COULD NOT COME to Cayman because by the time that the tenders would be able to unload the ship it would be time to leave. So THEY NEED A pier to tie on too.
Hopefully another look and study will be made about a berthing facility in South Sound which will not be rendered useless in a Norwesterner.
Oh please. Not the "Captains" again.
Good lets get thing built before we lose our million+ cruise ships tourists a year!
We all know that this tendering process under the UDP will be a CHARADE and fixed for their chosen contractor to be the winning tender. Bush controls all and if he does not get what he wants, he throw a tantrum and you are fired. What the process over the coming months and witness the motions he will go through and the winner is ! – CHEC.
Nothing this man does is open, transparent, fair or ethically correct. Down payments have been made, promises have been delivered, however this time he does not know who he is dealing with, for they will not take kindly to being ripped off.
"Businessmans heart heavy when pockets are light" Chinese proverb.
The good news is McKeeva has had his Chinese passport permanently revoked.
That's bad news – we want the Cayman one yanked!!!
Its been almost 4 years.
Our economy has been drained of almost 2 billion in taxes.
There have been almost no infrastracture works done with our tax dollars.
The civil service was almost reduced.
Govt spending almost decreased.
Several major private projects were almost started.
We changed a lot of laws and almost convinced private investors to move here.
The Premier's signing of agreements was almost not worth the paper they were written on.
The Premier travelled around the world almost 10 times.
The Police have numerous investigations of the Premier and will almost bring charges.
Crime is almost down.
Now CHEC almost sounds like they will sue us.
And its almost election time and the economy is almost destroyed.
I prefer to look at the positives.
The North Sound has not been dredged.
There is no huge hole in East End to drive around.
We do not have an oil refinery.
Anyone else have some good positives for the UDP?
The "cancellation" of these idiotic ideas was nothing to do with UDP, but solely due to public pressure
Good one ! Those are "negative positives", sort of equal to a "back-handed compliment" – hee hee.
He hasn't put two million in his offering plate in over a year.
4 more years, yes we will! Signed, seal delivered they are yours…. ha, ha no change, no change
Yes we will get sued once again folks. Fortunately for us, or perhaps I should say hopefully for us, it will be so fresh in our minds that it will not be possible to go through our next elections completely blindfolded with the usual utter crap about the PPM's 'failures'.
Four very important letters for everybody in Cayman to remember come May 22nd, 2013…C.H.E.C.,
On the panel the other night Mac produced some documentation that had to do with the port and asked Ms Sulliman to read it. If im correct she said it was dated 2009. It was suppossed to be some kind of evidence that procedure had been followed. What was that peice of paper and why did Alden and Ezzard look like they were reading it for the first time? If Mac was being Transparent why is he producing 2 to 3 year old documents noone has read before.? Because of shady business we are going to get another lawsuit. He might of been able to pay them off with the 6 mil from the Ritz if he'd remembered to swing by and pick it up on his way to town from West bay
Here we go again…
Is that the same intellectual property Mac was planning to sell to pay the GLF screw up? which one is he going to sell now to pay for the CHEC mess?
Sound like maybe Mac sold the GLF intellectual property to CHEC. lol.
What a great and novel idea,tendering for the work shocker, and a opportune time to renegotiate the baksheesh .
Hey, hey, hey folks! Slow down a bit!
We have nothing to worry about; BIG MAC is on the case. He has made sure we won’t get sued by CHEC, as he has a little insurance policy called “time”. Yep time, time seems like it is flying by so fast now, I mean heck it is almost Christmas. Well if I had to guess, good ole’ Mac is going to have this tendering process wrapped up before Christmas, or if not then not very much after the New Year. It will get sold as a good thing to make it happen so quickly. Yep I would gamble a guess that whatever the minimum duration for the tendering process is to be in compliance with the law is exactly what he will use for the tendering process of the new port facility.
You may think, hey that’s a good thing! We need jobs and that dock will get going quick o’clock. And I would have to agree. We do need jobs, and that dock will get going quick o’clock. But want I would also place a bet on is the fact that the only company that can produce a bid for that project in such short order is CHEC as they have already done all the work. Yea we may see a bid from GLF, but they have been slapped with red flags from the payout they got from their previous encounter with Big Mac, so when all things are weighed out, they are starting behind the ball and really have no hope of winning the bid.
So there you go, don’t worry we will not be getting sued again for the screw-ups of this government pertaining to this dock starting. And YES you will have jobs to pay off all that Christmas debt, but you will be working for CHEC and MAC will get his way at the end of the day.
End result, Cayman has been “horn-swaddled”
Disclaimer: this is a fictional tale that surely doesn’t have any basis in truth, and should be read with the understanding that the tooth fairy is as real as Santa Clause.
Kind Regards
Kent McTaggart
You hit the nail on the head Kent. I imagine that CHEC has put a lot of thought and work into this and will, by far, be in the best position to tender. The tender period will be as short as possible and the RFP will be tailored to match exactly what CHEC can do and want to do. This man has, once again brought us to the brink of financial ruin and will continue to do so as long as he is "the government". No one in the UDP will challenge or question him, which is what we need to happen so that the Opposition can get rid of him in a vote of "no confidence".
Here we go again. More money will be wasted in settlement of CHEC claim for breach of agreement.
Except there is no agreement. That is the whiole point of why Mac was trying to delay the FFR and failed.
This is an agreement signed by Mac without the application of due process according to our laws, and without the approval of the UK and the wider Cayman community. Mac had no power to sign that agreement. His actions are potentially ultra vires. I struggle to see how the Cayman Islands could or should be held to uphold such an agreement, when it was clearly signed without the power to do so. CHEC knew, or should have known, that Mac was way beyond his powers to do so, if they had done the slightest due diligence on our tendering process.
Did CHEC know about our due process? Sure they did. Did they make sure that anything Mac did was within that tendering process? Doubtful that they cared. With the fact that CHEC knew that Mac was not following the rule of law and the proper tending process, how they can now claim compensation?
XXXXX
Two points.
One: if we are now sued by CHEC it should be the Premier who pays. Just like the FFR clause he wanted, if his actions cause loss HE should be responsible, not us.
Two: the Priemier did not once say he wanted ‘value of money’. Rather he repeatedly stated ‘money for value’. (walue actually).
Another major XXXX up by the Premier, Ellio Solomon, Julianna O'Connor Conolly, Mark Scotland, Mike Adam, Clyne Glidden, Rolstan Anglin, Dwayne Seymour, Capt Eugene and Steve McField. Please Cayman, vote this group out in May 2013 to save our country.
Agreed. Any idea whom to vote in as a replacement? I'd love to know, because so far I've come up with a blank. Please enlighten me. (Absolutely sincerely!)
Dont worry about it just roll the dice and vote for a bunch of "Independents" who you know nothing about.
I’m starting to feel like a sacred vessel
vote them out………. all of them!
Hon Ellio Solomon MLA for the district of George Town, please tell us what is happening with the CHEC deal, is it really off the table?
Surely you mean is it really out from under the table?
Some questions don't have to be asked.
Hon.? You must be the Jordanian. He is just a backbench MLA.
If McKeeva says he's forever honerable then he's forever honerable. End of story…unless of course the UK disagrees.
no problem but i see you forgot some more names………..Alden Mclaughlin,Kurt Tibbetts,Anthony Eden,Lucille Seymour,Wayne Panton and Osbourne Bodden, there are a few more but i just can't remember the jokers names.
How can you include the Opposition in this shameful event? They have fought against him in the house over and over again. The UDP MLA's, particularly the ministers have allowed him to trample roughshod over proper procedure because they have no b@lls and vote with him all the time. They made him premier and keep him as premier by not joining the Opposition in a vote of "no confidence" to remove him. Why include PPM members who are not MLA's and exclude the UDP members who continue to support this man despite the fact that he is doing his best to destroy this country?
As much as I dislike what the UDP stands for, I hardly think that a bit of grumbling here and there counts as, "They have fought against him in the house over and over again."…
Moses Kirkconnell and Arden Mclean
Psst. Lucille, Wayne and Osbourne are not MLAs. They can't be voted out because they are not in.
just don't vote them in
Mac is so clueless on following proper procedures these days that he will likely say we are putting it out to tender, but if the tender committee pick anyone other than CHEC, he's going to fire every one of them and select another set of UDP stooges to start the process all over again until he get his dictates granted. I have no faith in their doing it fairly at this stage of the game, do you?
I see more lawsuits as a result of breach of contract. First GFL and now the Chinese. How many more contracts will be breached in the madman’s regime. More especially where is the Attorney General when you want him? Is he not responsible for protecting us from the dictator’s asinine conduct, or have I missed something. As to the remaining lakies in UDP, where are you? Do you have any balls? Sorry to be blunt it is just my nature. Have a nice night.
Go Chris…be blunt, you speak for many who fear retribution famously handed out by Mac and cronies.
Mr. Johnson, surely the Chinese must have known that the Premier was working with them outside the FFR rules and still went ahead with their plans? Does that not mean that they were also being irresponsible? Are we (Cayman) legally bound to pay them any money?
I think you raise a good point here. Morally I do not think they should get one red cent but legally is another thing. We need ask our learned friends that question. Having said that I believe that they will be an investigation into what has taken place to date. Maybe it has already started. Remember how the whole investigation in TCI blew up? We may see something similar take place here but on a smaller scale. A new governement in Cayman would be advised to look into the past.
I don't know if anyone else picked up on this, but CHEC refers to a Framework Agreement they claim to have signed in March 2012. Did anyone in the public know about this, or am I the only one in the dark? I never heard of this till now – was it publicized before in the press and I missed it? Did Cabinet approve this FA? All I remember hearing about, was the Ministerial MOU which had expired after being extended once. I didn't know there was another agreement signed, much less an FA. But hey, maybe I was sleeping under a rock and just didn't hear about it. CHEC also refer to their "continuing legal relationship", and the costs they incurred – I guess in relation to this FA – but what does this ultimately mean – does it mean yet another lawsuit? Here we go again…. sigh. When, oh when, pray tell me, will this Government learn, that if you do things properly from the start i.e. proper public, open tender process, all this wasted time, hiring and firing developers, and lawsuits would be avoided.
If this FA was not "properly approved" by CIG after proper consultation, maybe it is simply an agreement with an individual, say Bush, in which case, maybe CIG has no liability, but the individual does?
Hopefully bush has made some provision for the ” Intellectual Property ” costs that CHEC has incurred, and for which they would doubtless sue if they do not, for what ever reason, ultimately win the contract to build the cruise ship port.
I for one do not feel sorry for CHEC. What goes around, comes around. Thank God for the U.K., because the CHEC deal was not a good deal for the Cayman Islands, and we would all end up paying dearly for it in the long run.
The Premier's job needs to be put out for tender. Ever since he lost all that weight he seems to have lost a little some thing. (just my opinion) But he truly is not the same man. Maybe it's me. If I'm wrong please do not hesitate to tell me so. I heard Alden on the radio this morning talking down to phoners on the radio and he is not right either. The host verbally body slammed Alden and rightfuly so. I believe the parties and their leaders are out of touch with what is happening in this country. It was then that I realized that the Political party leaders are not what we as a small country are looking for in the twentyfirst century. We have to seperate our selfs from these counterfeit politicians. They don't know what they should be about except for tearing down each other and we the citizens are collateral damage. We can't take this anymore. We have to turn the page on this plotical nightmare that is having horrid effects on us all. Life is to short and we never expected such disapointment much less vote for it.
Sandfly, your spelling and grammar are atrocious.
If CHECs hands are clean in this they should have pushed the Premier towards proper procurment process. They must have known they were taking a big risk in the way it was being handled. Looks like they lose out . But did they really spend much more than they would have done if they were just one of several in a competitive tender? You have to spend on making your pitch for major projects and. Only one bidder gets the contract.
Want to bet that the 'new' contract will be awarded to…………………………………….CHEC, by order of whom? The process will have been "followed" lol but the end result will still be the same & we all know why (& how)!
We NEED 1 or 2 finger peirs and we CAN afford to build them (if they are tendered honestly). Do not tell us we NEED upland development and it's going to be a $400,000,000. project and we can't afford it. Do not let this idiot sell out our infrastructure to the Chinese. Mark my words, this battle is not over yet. Mac is going to try to figure out a work around to get what he wants.
Falmouth built a nice dock and also there is a new dock going in about 90 minutes south of La Ceiba. The Honduras project was stated to have cost about $20m. I am sure that for a budget (yes, pick a number then build something that fits the number) of around $80m we could get the two finger piers needed and one of those piers could handle the big boats. The likelyhood of having four Genisis class ships here at the same time is oh about… Never.
" . . . the Beijing firm expressed its disappointment by the turn of events and pointed to the expense it has occurred under its formal agreement."
Could this be a precursor to yet another lawsuit???? If it involves any agreement signed by the Honourable Premier, the answer should be obvious.
Any lawsuit from the Chinese may well give rise to additional interesting documentation and affidavits following the discovery process should a lawsuit evolve, so I do not think it will happen. In my opinion any bidding process should start after May 2013 when a new Government is elected.
Will the bid documents include construction of 200,000SqFt of unwanted shop space that we can ill afford? My guess is the bid documents will fit CHEC perfectly and will discourage interest from legitimate parties. Who determines what we actually need and why is there no design tender being drafted?
No doubt CHEC will now be in the best position to tender as they have had a LOT of time to work on this. Let's make sure that the other possible bidders get enough time to prepare a bid so that giving it to CHEC is not a foregone conclusion.
So long as all the bidders are tendering on the SAME set of contract documents, to the same deadline on a level playing field…then it can be considered competitive tendering. If CHEC are being asked to redo their costing so it can be scrutinised, then that's not the same thing.
What designs and construction documents will be used we don't know, as CHEC say the work to date is theirs.
The central tenders committee must have before them several tenders to ensure that value for money is being obtained. With due respect, lawyers and accountants, as clever as they are, do not have the necessary grounding in construction costing to determine the best deal…..I fear it will be left up to Mac to determine who gets the contract.
What is Chinese for “You backed the wrong horse”.
Probably somethingentirely incomprehensible to ninety-nine percent of the people reading CNS.
Neigh Mac U dam foo.
youuu baaacked de wong horrrrse
Jum pon wong fook hing hoss.
Sucks for CHEC when its obvious attempt to end around due process ends up biting it on the a$$. CHEC should have no advantage over any other tenderer and if the CIG has it is possession data that is relevant to the bid, then no copyright, no confidentiality clause then no problem letting everyone access to it – that would make the process cheaper for the bidders and hence benefit the Cayman Islands. There is a new boss in town CHEC and it ain't Macarooney.
Did they say if McKeeva has to return the Mao pyjamas?
CHEC should have known that they were doing business with a politician under investigation for financial irregularities, as they are themselves most of the time. CHEC should have known that this was a no-go from the minute they started talking to macidiot and any expense incurred is though CHEC's own greed and should be paid back out of macidiots own personal funds.