In an early Tuesday morning meeting at State House, Georgetown, President Dr. Irfaan Ali chastised both errant contractors and government workers whose shortcomings may be impacting the execution of projects countrywide.
The President made it clear that contractors whose projects will be incomplete by yearend and four months or more beyond the completion date will be sanctioned.
“All the projects that were supposed to be completed by the end of this year, or four months beyond completion date, and (with) no justifiable extension… They will be sent to the tender board and they will be terminated,” he said during the meeting broadcast live.
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He added that liquidated damages will be applied and contractors will be blacklisted. Liquidated damages refer to a provision allowing for the payment of a specified sum in the case of a breach of contract.
The President emphasised that his administration has to be tough on contractors tasked with carrying out these crucial national projects as people’s quality of life depend on the work done.
“Contracting and putting in a bid is serious work because when you can’t complete a project, you are holding up an entire nation,” he said exasperatedly.
The President’s no-nonsense approach was on full display as he engaged both the contractors and government workers be it Ministers of Government, Permanent Secretaries, engineers or other technical staff.
“You can’t bluff me, I am not here to play this morning,” President Ali said.
He was armed with documents some from government ministries and some independently compiled by his team following various community meetings. That allowed him to immediately determine if he was being fed false information by a public servant or contractor.
After receiving various updates, explanations and excuses, the Head of State reiterated his warning of the penalties that will handed down.
He did not spare some of his Government Ministers and their staff for what he believed was a breakdown in communication and persistent bureaucracy that hamper the execution of projects.
Furthermore, the President lectured all gathered under State House’s Baridi Benab about the importance of timeliness, in projects and in meetings, and about proper management.
