No plans to table new 20 mil. contract

Wed, May 7th 2014, 11:37 AM

Despite pledging to table the contracts awarded to MalJack Construction under the previous administration, Minister of Labour and National Insurance Shane Gibson indicated yesterday he would not table the $20 million contract awarded to Holiday Industrial Builders.
"If you remember there is a company called MalJack Construction that did a lot of...work at Garvin Tynes Primary School," said Gibson at a press conference at the Cabinet Office.
"They also did...work in Andros and they promised they would never work again.
"They were actually terminated for cause.
"In [the case of] Holiday, they said they (the Ingraham administration) terminated them without cause. In this case, they terminated him (MalJack's principal) for cause.
"I'm going to be tabling in Parliament tomorrow the contracts that he got since he was terminated for cause by the same administration."
But when asked if he would table the $20 million contract awarded to Holiday Industrial Builders, Gibson said, "I can go through all of the NIB contracts and the only time those contract issues are raised is if somebody raised the issue about the contract.
"But you don't table National Insurance contracts in Parliament. When did that happen last?"
Gibson previously said that Holiday Industrial Builders was awarded a $20 million contract to construct a building on John F. Kennedy Drive to house the Ministry of National Security.
He said the bidding was done through a selective tendering process.
In 2004, Holiday Industrial Builders was awarded a $5.8 million contract to build what is now the Office of the Attorney General on John F. Kennedy Drive.
In 2008, the Ingraham administration terminated the contract.
The new building to house the Ministry of National Security, which will be a replica of the Office of the Attorney General building, is being constructed with National Insurance money.
Gibson said Holiday's contract was terminated without cause and the Ingraham administration awarded a new contract to Jones Construction Company, without going to tender.
Prime Minister Perry Christie said he referred the matter of the new Holiday contract to Minister of Works Philip Brave Davis for an investigation into the "accuracy and reasonableness of the price".
"I want to put this to a point because it is amazing that people could take an issue and magnify it when you know it was given to somebody without going to tender," he said.
"I have to presume you know and I presume you don't care.
"You only care when it is awarded by the PLP."
Davis accused the media of fanning public discontent on the issue.
"We looked at the numbers," he said. "We revised all the numbers and we then said this price, the value for what is going to be built, is reasonable and meets the appropriate accepted standard."
At a rally last night, Free National Movement Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis charged that the $20 million contract should not have exceeded $15 million.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian

 Sponsored Ads