Govt. to spend $16M more to install cubicles at $400M Essequibo Registry

Sep 13, 2024 News

The Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority building at Suddie, Region Two. (Photos, Regional Democratic Council of Region 2 (January 2024)

Kaieteur News – Having spent over $400 million to build the new Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority (DCRA) building at Suddie, Region Two, the government is set spend $16 million more, to install office cubicles in the building.

According to information provided by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), it was revealed that the Ministry of Legal Affairs tendered for the ‘Supply, Delivery and Installation of Office Cubicles and Partition’ for Essequibo Sub-Registry building.

Following the national bidding process for this project, NPTAB revealed on its website that the contract was awarded earlier this month to Kojac for $16,878,700.

Kaieteur News reported in July this year that an additional $67 million would be spent to execute several external works at the sub-registry office. According to information provided on the NPTAB website also, the $67,726,995 contract was awarded to Jaikam Construction & Supplies Inc. It was reported that the $67 million contract entails the casting of the compound and construction of drain, fence, concrete culvert and concrete revetment at the new Essequibo Sub-Registry.

This publication understands that with the two additional projects and the initial contract sum to construct the building, the Essequibo Sub-Registry Building is now costing over half a billion dollars to establish.

It was previously reported that in October 2022, the DCRA signed the contract with Jaikam Construction to the tune of $447,862,666, for the construction of a new four-storey building next door to the Supreme Court building at Suddie. The contract duration mentioned at the time was 12 months.

Currently, the DCRA is currently housed at the Supreme Court Building in Suddie. Upon completion, the four-storey building is set to house the operations of the Deeds and Commercial Registries, and living quarters for staff. It was disclosed by the DCRA that the building will be equipped with an elevator, parking facilities and a storage vault for documents.

In January 2021, the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC announced that the Deeds and Commercial Registry in the Region Two would soon have its own building.

The Deeds and Commercial Registry was established to efficiently and expeditiously administer the laws enacted by Parliament affecting land, whether by way of transport, leases, mortgages or any other alienation thereof. It also deals with laws relating to trademarks, patents and designs, geographical indications, copyrights, trade unions, companies, partnership, business names, powers of attorney, bills of sale contracts, and other deeds.

• Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority (DCRA), Delivery and Installation of Office Cubicles and Partition, National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), Suddie, Supply