Latest update July 6th, 2022 12:59 AM
Sep 18, 2011 News
-bids not opened by National Tender Board
The controversial high-priced $69M Corriverton branch of the National Insurance Scheme was not awarded by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).
The contract was awarded by NIS.
It is still unclear if it was placed to tender with NIS making an assessment and then awarding the contract according to established procurement practices or whether Fyffe Building and Contracting Works was just handed the job.
That semi-autonomous body has not acceded or responded to Kaieteur News’ requests for more information or a challenge to have a post-construction audit done to clear up any misgivings how the $69M was spent.
Officials of NPTAB confirmed last week that it did not open the bid and noted that NIS like the Guyana Sugar Corporation, is a semi-autonomous agency which controls its ‘own’ finances and therefore allowed to conduct its own procurement.
The exceptions are when contracts using financing from overseas donors are used and Government has negotiated those finances. The NPTAB then has to deal with the bid opening and awarding the contracts.
There have been numerous questions about how the large sum of money was spent. Over the past days, the newspaper has been publishing photographs of sections of the NIS Corriverton branch and highlighting some of the questionable costs contained in an Engineer’s Estimate.
That Engineer’s Estimate for the construction was just over $50M. That is the only document, the management of NIS and government have released on the costs.
An Engineer’s Estimate for the controversial NIS branch at Corriverton, Berbice, said that three Tuff tanks, guttering, toilet bowls would cost $1.4M.
There are several questionable estimated costs with a generator hut costing almost $2.7M and a public toilet -$2.8M.
And there are more. According to the Bill of Quantities described as “Rainwater Goods and Cold Water Distribution”, plumbing for five toilets, toilet sets, face sinks, gutters and three Tuff Tanks and gutter works all came up to an astounding$1,377,300.
The Tuff Tanks, costing an average of $30,000, were listed at $60,000 each.
One toilet set was estimated at $55,000 with the five adding up to $275,000.
Gutters and downpipes for the 40 feet by 60 feet building alone were estimated to cost almost $400,000.
It will be recalled that following the announcement that the NIS branch cost $69M and the subsequent questions that arose, Kaieteur News published pictures of three homes which were built for staffers and which cost less than $7M each.
The newspaper had requested from Head of the Presidential Secretariat and NIS Chairman, Dr. Roger Luncheon, the details of the costs of that $69M facility.
Dr. Luncheon, in turn, requested that the newspaper provide the Bills of Quantities for these homes.
The newspaper and the Office of the President then exchanged documents with the latter providing the Engineer’s Estimate for the NIS Building.
On September 5th, media workers including Kaieteur News’ Publisher Glenn Lall and Editor-in-Chief Adam Harris were both refused entry to that Corriverton branch.
The security on recognizing the newsmen immediately shut the gates and later disclosed that NIS’ General Manager, Doreen Nelson, had ordered that they be kept out.
The Branch Manager, Louise Bryan, was seen hiding at the back of the NIS building.
Government, who commissioned that Corriverton facility late last month, said that the completed structure cost NIS $69M.
In light of the many questions, Kaieteur News had offered to conduct an on-site post-construction audit to determine whether the $69M was well spent.
The newspaper has also asked for a copy of the engineering drawings, which was never provided by the government and copy of the payment certificates detailing the work completed that was paid for.
There has not been a response as yet from government.
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NIS has become a SIN. It doesn’t have money to pay its clients well enough, but can afford to lose hundreds of millions in Clico (GY) and on self-serving projects.
NIS IS A GUYANA PONZI SCHEME THAT BENFITS MOSTLY A FEW!
NIS is like the mafia…killing poor people to pay contributions and then wasting money. NIS should spend some money to make their website service oriented so that ANY contributor could log on to1. Check for payments and total contributions made,2. Apply for compliance, 3. Enable email transfer so that contributors dont have to provide flash drives to transfer an excel file from branches to GT head Office4. Apply for claims and benefits5. Get notification when payments are due and also ready to be paid by NISThis is the year 2011 coming to an end and we want to stop being pushed around.NIS was our version of British Social Services, but now has become a cash cow for the PPP.It is the same nonsense with GRA, Imagine having to go to G/town to enter your TIN number at Main street just to check on an entry which anyone should be able to do from any computer connected to the internet.
they better take good care of it
This is becoming boring.
Is for this reason our country cannot move toward. Selfishness and corruption is killing us. When elected officials and people in senior position start being held responsible for how they spend every dime of tax payers and donated funds then and only then we will be heading in the right direction. Until jail term and fines for these people, those who cover-up or attempt to cover-up are in place we are spinning our wheels. We need more watch dogs. Thanks Kaietur.