Value for money: Edghill says contractors, engineers will face consequences for unsatisfactory work

Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill on Tuesday evening warned contractors and engineers that they will be sanctioned for unsatisfactory work.

During his visit to Region Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice), the minister conducted checks at several road projects in the region. Following that, he issued the stern warning on a radio programme.

Responding to a question on air about re-contracting contractors for road works, the minister said whether it is a new contractor or experienced contractor, each of them will be determined for re-hire if their work was done well previously.

“We will not pay for sloppy work. We will not pay for work that is not acceptable. All these concrete roads must achieve a PSI of 4500. These roads are being tested by our labs.

“We have said to our engineers at Public Works, if you sign off on projects that are not good quality, you got to face the consequences because you are out there to ensure compliance and to ensure value for money,” the Public Works Minister said.

This is one of several times the minister has reiterated this message. It is his view that contractors can’t do bad work and then ask to do more work.

He said the government encourages contractors to bid for work but they must also execute as expected. Last year it was announced that government has started exploring penalities for delays and shoddy work done by contractors, as there is a zero-tolerance policy on contractors who go beyond the deadline.