9 Int’l companies pre-qualified for construction of new Demerara Bridge

– works slated to commence in last quarter of 2021

Nine international companies have been pre-qualified for designing, building and financing the new Demerara River bridge.

In a statement on Friday, the Public Works Ministry stated that the nine companies – some of which have partnered to form joint ventures to carry out the project – will be expected to submit bids in three months’ time following receipt of bid documents, after which a “Preferred Bidder” will be selected and the construction of the project will commence in the last quarter of this year.
Bidders have been advised that they will be required to bid on two options, a Design-Build and Finance option and a Design-Build-Operate & Finance option.
Among the pre-qualified bidders are several major Dutch and Chinese companies.
They are China State Construction Eng Corp (China); Ballast Needam Infra Suriname BV (headquartered in The Netherlands); China Geizhouba Group Co Ltd (China); JV – China Railway International Group Co Ltd, China Railway Major Bridge Eng Group Co Ltd, Reconnaisance & Design Inst Co Ltd (China); JV – China Road & Bridge Corp Peutes y Calzadas Infrastructuras SLU (China and Spain); JV – OECI SA and Odebrecht Engenharia E Coonstrucao SA OEC (Brazil); JV – China Railway Construction Corporation (International) Ltd, China Railway Construction (Caribbean) Co Ltd, and China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group Co Ltd (China & Trinidad and Tobago); JV – Rizzani de Eccher S p A & Preconco Ltd (Italy and Barbados), and Boskalis Guyana Inc Eiffage Genie Civil (Guyana & Netherlands).
“The Government is pleased with the level of interest by globally competitive companies and wish to thank all companies that sought to be pre-qualified noting that the pre-qualification was a highly competitive process, resulting in detailed EoI/Pre-Qualification submissions of a high quality,” the Public Works Ministry has stated.
However, noting the limited number of pre-qualified bidders, the Government encouraged other world-class companies that did not make the cut to continue to pursue the many infrastructural opportunities available in Guyana.
The pre-qualification process commenced last September after the Government invited Expressions of Interest (EoI) and Pre-Qualifications applications. The PPP/C Administration, which was barely two months old at the time, launched the advertisement on Sept 27, 2021, in all papers and subsequently, 54 firms expressed interest.
However, only 44 firms completed the registration process and were provided with the EoI/Pre-Qualification documents.
Twenty-one of those companies further submitted to the EoI/Pre-Qualification on the closing deadline of December 4, 2020. Prior to the December submission deadline, various questions were raised by interested parties. These were answered both via a virtual workshop and addendums issued to registered parties.
Additionally, a decision was taken on the alignment alongside the existing bridge before the launch of the EoI/Pre-Qualification.
Shortly after the launch of the EoI, President Dr Irfaan Ali led a team to visit the eastern alignment. At the direction of the Head of State, an interagency group was formed under the Chairmanship of Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill to include all key agencies that would have inputs in the new bridge.
Friday’s announcement of the pre-qualified bidders came on the heels of an information session held on March 15 with the pre-qualified bidders that revealed the general requirements expected in the upcoming tender.
Meanwhile, an application for the project has since been filed at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), followed by an advertisement for a firm to complete the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA).
With the construction of the new Demerara River bridge slated to start in the fourth quarter of 2021, the project is expected to be finished within two years.
Minister Edghill had previously explained that the new bridge will be high-fixed with a 50-metre flyover at minimum or “as high as or higher than the Marriott Hotel” to allow for marine vessels to pass without any interruptions of vehicular traffic.
As such, the bridge would land aback Nandy Park on the East Bank of Demerara and at La Grange, West Bank Demerara, from where an alternative highway will be constructed all the way to Parika.
The construction of the new bridge will be a timely one, as the East Bank is notorious for its heavy traffic congestions due to the current retractable bridge.
Floating at 1.25 mile, the current Demerara Harbour Bridge is a strategic link between the East and West Banks of Demerara, facilitating the daily movement of thousands of vehicles, people, and cargo. The structure was built in the 1970s but was opened in July 1978 with the expectation of lasting only 10 years. However, some 42 years later, it is still floating.
The former APNU/AFC Administration was originally going to go with another retractable, three-lane design but after immense criticism had switched to a fixed, four-lane proposal.
However, the awarding of the $146 million contract to have a feasibility study done for the project was marred in controversy, with the Auditor General, Deodat Sharma, pointing to major breaches of Guyana’s financial laws.
The Public Procurement Commission (PPC) had subsequently flagged former Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson for requesting from the then Cabinet that the feasibility contract be sole-sourced instead of being processed through the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).
The PPC had found that after the bidding process was annulled because of non-responsive bidders, NPTAB had approved for the project to be re-tendered. But instead, Dutch company LievenseCSO was handpicked by the Public Infrastructure Minister to conduct the study.
Additionally, it was revealed that funds from the Asphalt Plant, which is managed by the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC), were used to pay for the feasibility study.
As such, former Minister Patterson and former Head of the DHBC, Rawlston Adams, were charged in January for defrauding the Asphalt Plant of $162.6 million. They are currently out on bail.