Govt seeking consultant to design secondary school at Prospect

Having turned the sod for the construction of the new general secondary school at Parcel 106, Plantation Prospect, East Bank Demerara, the Government is now seeking consulting services for the design and supervision of the school.
Guyana has received funding from the World Bank for the cost of the Guyana Secondary Education Improvement Project (GSEIP), and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services.
According to an Expression of Interest (EoI) published in the daily newspapers, the Education Ministry has, by virtue of its ongoing programme of school construction, an evolved design model of a secondary school. However, in keeping with the development of the curriculum and pedagogy, the design morphology must be continuously developed and refined to meet the current and future requirements of the Ministry.

The Government recently completed the construction of two secondary schools, at Westminster, West Bank Demerara and at Good Hope, East Coast Demerara, which can house 1000 and 800 students respectively, based on a design developed by VIKAB Engineering and Consultants Limited.
The Education Ministry now requires the services of a firm with suitably qualified consultants to work from that design, adapt it to the site-specific requirement, and incorporate such changes as are deemed essential by the Ministry for the proposed new general secondary school at Prospect.
The successful proponent will be expected to assume full design and professional liability for all services provided under this engagement.
Eligible consulting firms can indicate their interest in providing the services, and should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the services.
According to the advertisement, to be shortlisted, firms must have at least 10 years of experience in architectural, civil, and structural engineering design and development, with similar and proven experience in contract administration, project and construction management, inclusive of schedule management, cost management, quality management, and safety management.
Additionally, firms must have successfully completed similar assignments during the last eight years. For this EoI, similar designs shall mean the design and contract administration of new primary, secondary, or tertiary education facilities that have a minimum student capacity of 500.
Firms should also have qualified professionals in the field of architecture, civil and structural engineering, quantity surveying, mechanical and electrical engineering; and health, safety security, and environment. Experience working in Guyana would also be an asset.
The EoI outlines that the attention of interested consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for Investment Project Financing (IPF) Borrowers July 2016, setting forth the financial institution’s policy on conflict of interest.
Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications, but should indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture and/or sub-consultancy.
In the case of a joint venture, all the partners shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire contract, if selected. Moreover, the EoI states that a consultant will be selected in accordance with the quality and cost-based selection (QCBS) method set out in the procurement regulations.
EoIs must be delivered in written form via the tender box to the Chairman, National Procurement and Tender Administration Board, which is located at Main and Urquhart Streets, Georgetown by Tuesday, October 12, 2021 at 09:00am.

<<Quality education>>
Meanwhile, during the sod-turning ceremony, Education Minister Priya Manickchand had said that the school would serve to provide access to quality education at the secondary level for students living along the East Bank Demerara corridor.
She disclosed that there are eight secondary departments within primary schools known as ‘primary tops’ and approximately 450 students being taught in auditoriums in three secondary schools on the East Bank of Demerara.
Manickchand revealed that the Education Ministry wants to abolish these secondary departments and allow students that are being taught in less-than-desirable conditions to be placed in schools that would allow them to receive a high quality of education.
According to her, the United Nations reported that Guyana achieved universal primary education between 2012 and 2014. As such, she said, the Ministry is on the move to achieve universal secondary education.
To achieve this milestone, the Education Minister said, in 2014, the Ministry sought and received funding from the World Bank for the GSEIP. She added that, under this project, secondary schools were built at Good Hope, East Coast Demerara and Westminster, West Bank Demerara.
Moreover, she assured parents and students that the Government is committed to ensuring that the construction of the school at Prospect would not suffer from lacklustre management.
The Minister told parents that even with the Ministry creating access to quality education, the absence of parental support would cost children opportunities. (G1)