GB Public Contracts - The Facts
Published: Thursday November 12th, 2009
It is more and more apparent that having passed the half-way point in this administration’s term in office, some opposition political operatives have now launched the political “silly season” early.
No better example of this is to be found in the mock controversy which was stirred up by Forrester Carroll against the Hon. Neko Grant I, the Minister of Public Works, which was picked up and repeated in an editorial in the Nassau Guardian Newspaper on the 10th November 2009 under the title “Minister something stinks”.
The spurious “facts” alleged by both Carroll and the editorial are:
That a contract for more than $50,000.00 was issued to Waugh Construction Company to pave a park (Sunset Park in Lucaya Constituency) without going out to bid;
That the Park is on land owned by the Grand Bahama Port Authority ( a private company);
That the Ministry of Public Works is paying, by purchase order, for the improvement of privately-owned land on the order of the Minister;
That the Minister had informed the Newspaper reporter that he was personally paying for the work and that it was a constituency project.
The truth of the matter is otherwise than has been alleged. The true facts are:
Waugh Construction Company had been awarded a major contract by the Tenders Board after a competitive public bid to re-pave the main road from Seagrape to West End.
Waugh Construction Company undertook the work on Sunset Park, and other work in Grand Bahama, to facilitate:
Paving of the entrance to Independence Park, Freeport, Grand Bahama at a cost of $22,600.
Paving of the parking lot of Sunset Park, Freeport, Grand Bahama at a cost of $56,501.33.
Paving of parking lot at the West End Post Office at a cost of $23,250.
Re-surfacing of the Basketball Court, Hepburn Town, Eight Mile Rock at a cost of $18,440, and
Additional road works in west Grand Bahama, Pinder’s Point, Lewis Yard, and Mack Town (inclusive of the entrances to both Eight Mile Rock and Pinder’s Point from Freeport at a cost of $311,785.67.
We regret that a responsible and respected newspaper like The Guardian allowed itself to be manipulated in this matter.
