Do better for contractors

ACTING Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw has chided the system inefficiencies creating delays in paying contractors efficiently.
Saying this is one of the major reasons why many projects are delayed, she told the Lower House on Tuesday afternoon that the slow-pace of disbursing funds to these persons have to be addressed as a matter of priority, if projects are to be completed on a timely basis.
Bradshaw also pointed out that in many circumstances, contractors are using their own funds to continue the respective project when there are delays in being paid by the government, which could place a strain on their businesses.
“It is important that if we are relying on people to take up their own money to get projects going, that we got to make sure that if they’re owed money, whether in the Ministry of Transport and
Works or any other ministry that we find the money to pay these people.
“People cannot live on fresh air, they have workers, who are our constituents that are coming to them and to us when the monies have not been released in order to get paid. We have to do bet- ter,” she urged.
At the time, she was speaking during the debate on government’s intention of borrowing over $250 million from the Export/Import Bank of China to repair roads in the Scotland District and surrounding areas.
She pointed out that with government employ- ees already engaged in getting several projects done, it will sometimes be necessary to outsource additional resources when handling large scale projects.
“You have the everyday functions of a ministry that has to be done and you have the same officers
doing those functions, but then we come as a very ambitious, forward thinking government and we want to accomplish all of these big projects, where we've unlocked all of this financing. Sometimes we start off believing that we could get the same people who already stretched out to the max to execute the projects in a timely manner sir - problem.
“Projects cannot have the same officers managing large scale projects in minutes in government, where they are also required to do the smaller projects as well. So while we may engage consult- ants from time to time to assist, the truth of the matter is sometimes we need more assistance in order to be able to prop- erly execute and to do the management and supervision that is required for a number of these projects. And that sir, I think has to be something that we address urgently,” she continued.