Altius Williams (right), Principal Finance Officer in the Ministry of Transport and Works, affixes the Ministry's seal after signing the agreement for the repair of several roads across the island yesterday. Looking on is Patrick Gordon who signed on behalf of Asphaltic Concrete Enterprises, one of three companies contracted to do the work. The signing took place at the National Works Agency office, Maxfield Avenue, Kingston. - Michael Sloley /Freelance Photographer THE GOVERNMENT has fired one of its contractors for shoddy work on two contracts as it moves to improve on the pace of work repairs.
Transport and Works Minister Robert Pickersgill said yesterday that the government had to part company with Chicon Enterprises Limited for poor performance on two contracts with regard to their work on the routine maintenance contract for roads in Westmoreland and the Urban/Rural patching contract for roads in Metropolitan Kingston and St. Andrew, and Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland.
"Two weeks ago we put five of them on notice, advising them that their contracts would be terminated if their performance remained unacceptable," Mr. Pickersgill said. "At the end of the two weeks, our assessment revealed that all, except two, had made significant improvement. One of them had improved sufficiently to keep his contract in place."
The Minister said that he was not pleased with the work being done by some of the contractors who are patching roads in Kingston and Savanna-la-Mar and warned those who signed new contracts yesterday to honour the contracts and agreements within the stipulated time frame and budget.
The Minister signed contracts valued at more than $800 million to rehabilitate about 40 kilometres of road in St. Andrew, St. Catherine and Manchester with contractors Asphaltic Concrete Enterprises, Lagan Holdings and Surrey Paving.
Contracts were awarded to the Asphaltic Concrete Enterprises for fixing the Spanish Town bypass at a cost of $317 million; the joint venture partnership of Lagan Holdings and Surrey Paving for Manchester projects at a cost of $208 million and Surrey Paving for a Stony Hill to Toms River project at a cost of $200 million.
"We cannot and will not tolerate anything less," Mr. Pickersgill said. "There are deadlines to be met. Failure will yield serious consequences."
He was speaking at a signing ceremony at the National Works Agency, yesterday.
Mr. Pickersgill said that the development is being financed through a US$20 million provision by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, the same source of funding for the $1.2 billion Old Harbour bypass in St. Catherine which was completed last year. The allowance is for the rehabilitation of main roads across the island.
