The awarding of the contract for the Affordable Housing Initiative project off Eastern Avenue has been put on hold pending the installation of a new government, the manager of the National Housing and Community Development Trust Roger Bodden said Thursday.
The AHI homes at Eastern Avenue were mostly destroyed by Hurricane Ivan and the site is proposed to be redeveloped with a three-storey, approximately 72-apartment complex.
After the bidding process ended on 4 May, Mr. Bodden indicated a contract would be awarded within seven days.
However, with the opposition People’s Progressive Movement winning control of the government from the ruling United Democratic Party in the general election on Wednesday, the brakes were put on the decision.
‘We never took (the decision to award a contract) to the Board or to the ministry before the election,’ said Mr. Bodden. ‘It will now have to be decided by the new government.’
Mr. Bodden indicated that there were other issues with awarding the contract that would have to be resolved as well.
‘We have to go back to some of the bidders and get more information,’ he said.
Project consultant Andrew Gibb said some of that information was technical and some of it was financial.
‘In my appraisal which was submitted to the Trust, I have recommended that, of the four bidders, two be promoted to preferred bidder status,’ Mr. Gibb said.
‘We need these bidders to flesh out their bids and fill in some of the gaps in order to make sure all cards in the 52-card deck are in play.’
Mr. Gibb said he is waiting for inputs from to sources before proceeding.
‘First, I am waiting to hear back from the Trust,’ he said.
‘Secondly, I’m waiting to hear from the office of the Auditor General, which has been watching this process from day one.’
Mr. Gibb said the NHCDT sent a copy of his bid appraisal to the Auditor General and asked for comments.
‘The Auditor General may have additional input for us to consider,’ he said.
Another hitch with the project is with the Planning Department, which has adjourned the preliminary development application, Mr. Gibb said.
‘Adjourned means the application hasn’t been approved, but it hasn’t been disapproved either,’ he said. ‘Planning has certain issues with the application, but those issues are not insurmountable.’
Mr. Gibb said some of Planning’s issues involve traffic density and parking, and the available space for recreational facilities.
There are also some technical concerns with things like garbage disposal, he said.
Mr. Gibb said that his appraisal to the NHCDT was confidential so he could not divulge which two bidders he recommended for preferred bidder status.
Four companies submitted bids: Staunch Ltd., Royal Construction, Myles Construction and KCoast/CI Precast.
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