New Fire Service Headquarters ahead of schedule – contractor

Construction works on the new headquarters for the Guyana Fire Service along Homestretch Avenue, in Georgetown, is ahead of schedule, according to the contractor, Nazar Mohamed – Managing Director of Mohamed’s Enterprise.
On Saturday, Mohamed joined Commissioner of Information, Ret’d Justice Charles Ramson (Snr), for a visit at the construction site to inspect the works.

The contract for the new headquarters for the Guyana Fire Service, which is pegged at $614 million, was awarded to Mohamed’s Enterprise last November. The expected time of completion was set at 14 months from the commencement date.
However, during Saturday’s visit, Mohamed briefed Ramson Snr on the progress of the construction and indicated that the works are ahead of the February 2023 deadline. The state-of-the-art building is already more than 70 per cent completed.
In fact, Mohamed related that all of the public projects undertaken by his company have been completed before the contracted deadlines.
As a matter of fact, it was noted that Chief Engineer, Narendra Guyadin, has complimented Mohamed’s Enterprise on their excellent standard, quality and efficiency of work and the timely delivery of the projects.
Ramson Snr, who is a former Attorney General and Appeal Court Judge, was highly impressed with the progress and status of the work. He lauded the contractor for striving to have the work completed long before the scheduled deadline.
On this note, Mohamed recalled that his company came under heavy criticisms by the Opposition A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) parliamentarians when the new Fire Station Headquarters project was awarded to him. But at the time, Mohamed had maintained that he “will deliver all of his projects in a timely manner and to the highest quality and standard”.
To date, Mohamed’s Enterprise completed a number of State projects across various sectors. The company has already handed over the 20 elevated two-bedroom houses that were built at Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown, for the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA). It was noted by the Housing and Water Ministry that all the homeowners are asking for the houses built by Mohamed’s Enterprise, given their high quality of work.
Additionally, the company has also handed over a newly constructed building at the Lusignan Prison on the East Coast of Demerara to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The businessman explained that Mohamed’s Enterprise has recently won a few other contracts for State projects but has chosen to decline the awards. Mohamed revealed that he wrote to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) and thanked them for their evaluation process and for choosing his company as the best suitable contractor, but indicated that they are unable to accept any other contracts because of pressing issues with his personal projects.
Mohamed’s Enterprise and its subsidiaries – Hadi’s World Incorporated and Sunshine Gardens Incorporated – stand committed to nation building and the development of Guyana, according to Mohamed.
“In all these awarded projects, we stick to the contract sum,” he stated.
This new headquarters for the Guyana Fire Service will replace the age-old Central Fire Station at Water Street in the vicinity of the Stabroek Market, a high-traffic area that has posed challenges in the past, thus allowing for enhanced and faster response from the Fire Service.
The new facility is being constructed on approximately 3.5 acres of land between the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall and the D’Urban Park Stadium. A portion of the land at the immediate east of the stadium has been earmarked for the construction of a sports facility.
This is significantly larger than the cramped Stabroek layout, which poses difficulties for tenders to navigate during peak hours, as both human and vehicle traffic is hiked, thus affecting response time.
While the contract sum is $614 million, the new Headquarters for the Guyana Fire Service is expected to cost some $648 million upon full completion. (G8)