The new Guyana Fire Service (GFS) headquarters at Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown is almost complete but before the administration takes over the building from the contractor, it will be examined for defects.
Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn on Thursday outlined the process which leads to the building being handed over to the government.
He said the authorities first need to identify any defects in the building during the fix liability period, after which the contractor has to fix the defects.
When this is done, the completion certificate will be signed and then the final payment is made.
And since the keys were recently handed over to officials of the ministry, Benn said the engineers will be tasked with inspecting the new building.
“Any defects will be identified and dealt with,” Benn told the press at the sidelines of an event.
The construction of the building was slated to be completed in December 2022.
“There was a suggestion that they [the contractors] were ahead and would have been finished in December but that did not happen for whatever reasons,” Benn said.
The project is therefore behind schedule and is presently 95 percent complete.
In November 2021, the Ministry of Home Affairs awarded a $614 contract to Mohammed’s Enterprise, for the construction of the new head office of the fire service.
The GFS headquarters is currently situated in the congested Stabroek Market; this has proven to be a major concern for firefighters who continue to be hampered by the heavy traffic in that area.
