Latest update March 29th, 2024 12:59 AM
Dec 15, 2015 News
Chief Executive Officer (Ag) of the state-owned Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL), Colin Welch, has
categorically denied that he sent a number of text messages to a Chinese manufacturer of prepaid meters.
Speaking with Kaieteur News yesterday, the official insisted that the texts and logs of Skype calls were created to frame him.
“My name is not even spelt with two Ls. I don’t know of any texts.”
Welch, who was appointed acting CEO back in August after Bharat Dindyal’s services were terminated, is being accused to tampering with aUS$4M tender for 28,000 prepaid meters.
Complaints about the evaluation process of the meter contract have forced Government to order the retender of the contract.
Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, has ordered a report on the text messages with a new GPL Board of Directors, to be appointed shortly, set to consider it to determine the fate of Welch.
The delay on the meters arrival has stalled GPL’s delivery of the service for months now.
Welch said yesterday that since being appointed in August, he has been making a number of changes especially when it comes to Loss Reduction with a number of contractors sacked for dishonesty.
At least 10 teams have been fired so far. The executive could not immediately say who would want to frame him.
The leaked text messages were sent to Minister Patterson and other government officials as well as senior management of GPL.
In the purported text messages, “Collin Welch”, displaying an intense knowledge of the workings of tender process and evaluation, advised the Chinese manufacturer of the meters, Shenzhen Clou Electronics Company Limited, to lie about whether it made the kind of meters that GPL wanted.
Welch allegedly also wanted the company to lie and say that it even has stocks of the meters available in countries outside of China, even though it never manufactured that type.
He also promised to waive a number of tests that is required for the meters to ensure that they meet the standards demanded by GPL.
In early April, the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) closed the bids with Tesco PLC, a British company, reportedly winning the contract and undertaking to supply. Tesco was going to procure the meters out of China. It was buying from Shenzhen.
However, one of the bidders objected to the evaluation and the subsequent award, claiming that Tesco’s supplier, Shenzhen, does not manufacture the 100-amp meters required by GPL.
According to GPL officials, another objection raised had to do with the inspection of the meters. The 28,000 meters had to be certified by an internationally accepted lab before being shipped. There were questions over the certification documents presented.
The Tender Board, following up on the objection by the bidder, wrote both Tesco and Shenzhen, asking for clarifications.
It appeared that during the wait for answers, Welch somehow started communicating with both companies, breaking a number of procurement regulations that bar State officials from intervening while the tender is being handled by the tender board.
In the texts, Welch signaled his intentions to waive tests (inspections) of the meters telling the Chinese manufacturer- “We don’t need any other report; it’s ok. You already pass our test report…It is ok. I already pass all of our meters.”
During the exchange, the company also explained that it would be their first time producing 100amp meters.
Welch, however, persisted, suggesting that the company should lie.
“…They will call to verify but that is ok just say the 100-amp meters will be specifically produced for GPL because what you’re making is 80 amps.”
The acting CEO, in the text messages, told the Chinese company that it must also lie that it has the 100 amps prepaid meters available in other countries as there would be questions from “someone on the Board”. A wrong answer could lead to disqualification, Welch implied.
The messages indicated that Welch was set to travel to China to meet with Shenzhen Clou officials on the deal.
Since appointed as acting CEO in late August, Welch has faced a daunting task of running the corporation which is charged with managing the country’s generators.
He was accused of forging his credentials. He was elevated from Deputy CEO -Technical following the stormy dismissal of Bharat Dindyal on August 14. The two clashed publicly in that month, over the suspension of two senior staffers.
On Sunday, Government said that it had ordered the tenders to be done over again, with a new team appointed to evaluate.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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