Contractor facing blacklist over catastrophic utility pole collapse on Aubrey Barker Road

…procurement officers likely to face disciplinary action

Acting on the commitment made by President Dr Irfaan Ali to enforce severe penalties against defaulting contractors executing public projects, the Government has written to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) to blacklist at least one contractor responsible for works on Aubrey Barker Road, Georgetown. This follows the catastrophic collapse of utility poles, which plunged approximately 2000 households in South Ruimveldt into darkness for over 18 hours last month.

The incident, which occurred during ongoing road and drainage construction in December 2024, saw nine concrete poles uprooted, prompting widespread criticism and a joint investigation by the Public Works Ministry and the Guyana Power and Light (GPL).
During his weekly press conference on Thursday, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo disclosed that the investigation was complete and the findings revealed that the utility poles were improperly installed, failing to meet required specifications.
He explained that Government would take firm action against all parties responsible for the substandard work.
“There’s a recommendation to the Tender Board to blacklist one contractor. And also, the investigation is continuing. So, there’ll be further disciplinary action taken against other individuals. We need to take firm action against these individuals. There are some people at the engineering level, at the procurement level,” VP Jagdeo told media operatives.
While the Vice President did not name the contractor, he emphasised the need for stringent measures to deter similar incidents in the future.

Corruption and unethical practices
Jagdeo also called for better oversight from engineers and procurement officials, stressing that corruption and unethical practices would not be tolerated.
“We’ve found some cases where procurement officers in some agencies are doing some of the most egregious things. We’ve made it clear to people, contractors, that if any engineer, any procurement officer of the state, in any agency, were to solicit a bribe from you, or to say they can give you a contract if you give them any money, or to accept shoddy work if you pay them, then just let us know… And trust me, it will be investigated. We are looking at this seriously,” he disclosed.
The Vice President revealed that he was personally investigating two instances of alleged misconduct by procurement officers and vowed to address the issue comprehensively.
The fallen poles were part of an effort to relocate power lines for the ongoing expansion of the Aubrey Barker Road.
Construction on the $1.45 billion four-lane expansion project is being executed in phases as the Government accelerates the delayed work. The project started in August 2022 and was expected to be completed and delivered in July 2023. The contract was awarded to Surrey Paving Aggregate Company Caribbean Limited.
However, amid delays faced in the completion of the project, the Public Works Ministry had sent out tenders in February 2024 for the continuation of the 1.3-kilometre road, which will be expanded to four lanes.
The contractors for this aspect of the project have since been identified and works are ongoing. The works include the buildout of drains to address the issue of flooding which severely affects the community when it rains.