Construction material suppliers providing substandard products will be blacklisted – Jagdeo

In a decisive move to ensure the quality of public infrastructure, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has vowed to blacklist construction suppliers who provide substandard materials for Government projects.
This follows troubling reports that several suppliers have been supplying concrete with insufficient strength, leading to the deterioration of key infrastructure, such as roads.
The move also comes at a time when the Government is clamping down on delinquent contractors executing public projects.
VP Jagdeo, during his weekly press conference on Thursday, revealed that some small contractors on the East Bank of Demerara, had been receiving concrete that did not meet the required strength specifications.
“We found that the PSI of the concrete being supplied was far below the required 4000 PSI. Some suppliers were providing concrete with only 2000 PSI, which is clearly inadequate for road construction,” Jagdeo said.
The consequences of this have been dire, with roads deteriorating prematurely, creating a blame-shifting scenario where contractors are held accountable for the subpar quality of the materials they received.
In response, the Public Works Ministry is set to issue a statement and take action against the suppliers who are found to be at fault.
Jagdeo made it clear that any supplier found guilty of providing substandard materials would be effectively blacklisted, losing their right to participate in future Government contracts.
“We will no longer tolerate suppliers who cheat the system and undermine the quality of public infrastructure,” he declared.
The Government’s stance is clear: it will not tolerate any compromise on the quality of public works, and it encourages citizens to take an active role in ensuring transparency.
The Vice President urged the public to report any instances of poor construction they observe in their communities, reassuring citizens that exposing such issues would not be viewed as a political attack but rather as part of the Government’s efforts to improve public works.
“This is not a failure of the Government. In fact, it’s the Government working to make sure that we do things properly and that we get value for money,” Jagdeo emphasised.
He also expressed confidence that the issues identified in road construction projects would be rectified, calling on the public and contractors to continue their efforts in raising standards across the country.

Clampdown
With the aim of addressing several issues affecting the transformation of Guyana’s infrastructural landscape and combat corruption in the public procurement processes, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government has taken action against company owners being awarded multiple contracts, and contractors doing substandard work.
In June 2024, it was disclosed that approximately $3 billion in charges for liquidated damages have been instituted over delays in public projects across the country.
Liquidated damages refer to a provision allowing for the payment of a specified sum in the case of a breach of contract. Based on the value of the contracts, the percentage of the liquidated damages is calculated. This can range from 0.1 per cent up to 10 per cent of the contract sum.
Guyana Times was told that while most state agencies have embarked on recovering liquidated damages, the Ministries of Public Works, Housing and Water, and Agriculture are the main entities with defaulting contractors.
In fact, the Public Works Ministry has issued letters to contractors on a whopping 365 projects that have been experiencing unjustified delays, seeking liquidated damages to the tune of $934.65 million.