Opposition MP and former Housing Minister, Roodal Moonilal, is calling for answers from the government, following the Housing Development Corporation’s (HDC) cancellation of the Santa Rosa Housing Project and the procurement process used.
He is also querying the independent evaluation committee that selected China Harbour Engineering Company (T&T) Ltd for the contract.
Moonilal recently queried the issue of the award of the contract to China Harbour Engineering Company (T&T) Ltd, after local contractors protested the matter.
Reports state that 11 companies submitted bids for the project which were reportedly less than the bid by China Harbour which was $475.8 million. HDC stated to bidders in July it would have awarded the contract to China Harbour. However, the HDC last week announced it had cancelled the project and the procurement process after two companies challenged the award via the Procurement Regulator.
Speaking at UNC’s media briefing at its headquarters in Chaguanas on Sunday, Moonilal asked, “Why did you scrap the project if you issued three press releases to say everything was above board. Why didn’t you stand your ground? This matter cannot end, the HDC must explain why they cancelled the project with China Harbour hours after Woodgreen Construction and NH International filed challenge proceedings with the OPR. What do you have to hide?”
Moonilal said there is an independent evaluation committee comprising financial, technical and procurement experts and these three people decided on China Harbour.
“We want to know who are the members of this committee as China Habour, as housing experts told us, couldn’t have submitted a realistic bid given the Town and Country guidelines and the Request For Proposals.
“They said China Harbour couldn’t have been building that amount of units at that cost consistent with the RFP and Town and Country guidelines…it would have been the equivalent of high rise buildings, which isn’t in the RFP. So how and why was China Harbor selected? Is a friend of the Prime Minister involved? This entire Government is run by Rowley and friends,” he claimed.
Moonilal said when it was decided that China Harbour couldn’t do the job why was the second bidder not chosen and if the matter would be retendered. He questioned if China Harbour could now “reincarnate” into another entity to seek the same contract.
Moonilal also demanded answers on the Edinburgh Towers which he said was started under former housing minister Dr Keith Rowley. Claiming the project was “blight”, Moonilal claimed it began at $57 million and the cost today is about $180 million. He said the PP Government halted it as it violated utility and other regulations.
Moonilal alleged, “Today there’s a mad rush to complete those Towers issuing $3 million contracts to friends and family of HDC officials without procurement process. “I ask HDC, give us a list of the names of all contractors at that site and the scope of their work, when that housing estate will be completed and what cost. And what was the procurement process used to give out contracts like nuts.”