The Ministry of Works is working on recovering all of the contracts associated with the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) to be presented in the House of Assembly, Director of Works John Canton said yesterday.
When asked what he meant by recovering, Canton said, "Contract documents are being recovered from the register."
Canton said because the ministry has over 600 contracts on hand, once a new contract is signed and processed, it is put on the ministry's register.

Minister of Works Philip Brave Davis said in the House of Assembly two weeks ago the contractor that built the male dormitory at BAMSI that was set afire on January 15 allowed the insurance on the building to lapse.

Former Minister of Works Neko Grant and Opposition Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis have demanded that the government table all of the contracts associated with BAMSI and proof that each contractor has insurance. The government engaged 14 contractors for the BAMSI project. Canton did not comment on the specifics of the contracts. He said he depends on the project manager and quantity surveyor as it relates to the contractors' information.

When asked who the project manager is for BAMSI, Canton referred The Guardian to Colin Higgs, the permanent secretary in the ministry, who was unavailable up to press time.

The Guardian has leaned that there is no evidence in the ministry's files that the building was ever insured. According to information on file, there was an insurance quote from a local insurance company, but there was never an insurance certificate. The contractor was issued checks based on that quote, The Guardian understands. But the ministry has no evidence that the insurance was ever paid. Canton said the furor surrounding BAMSI is political.

"They are red herrings," he said. "In a normal contract, the person responsible is the contractor. He is in breach of his contract and has rightly said that he would pay to rebuild."

On Monday, Montagu MP Richard Lightbourn challenged Davis to "come clean" and state categorically whether the dorm was insured. According to Davis, at the time the contract was signed, the contractor had everything that was required to contract work including contractor's all-risk insurance.

The contractor said he was under the impression the building was insured at the time of the blaze. Audley Hanna, president of Paradigm Construction, said the building was insured with Southern Alliance. The Guardian searched the Insurance Commission of The Bahamas' website but did not find the name of the company listed.

A senior insurance broker in the country also told The Guardian that she had never heard of the company. He said if the dorm is not insured he would have to "find the money to build it back". Davis has said he will address the matter in the House today. Dave Dion Moxey, 50, has been charged with arson.

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