Gov't dismisses claim it has been tardy in fixing structural issues at Torrington Park apartments
Published:Tuesday | November 19, 2024 | 9:23 AM
The Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation says work is expected to begin today on the dilapidated Torrington Park Housing Scheme in St Andrew where a staircase collapsed on Sunday.
In a media release late Monday, the ministry accused Opposition Leader Mark Golding of "falsely" suggesting that it has been tardy in moving to address infrastructural challenges at the Torrington Park Housing Scheme in St Andrew.
It said several efforts have been made to have the required corrective work done but there have been issues with procurement and contractors were unwilling to work in the community because of security concerns.
The ministry outlined that the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) had initially advised that it would be appropriate to obtain the services of a structural engineer to examine the integrity of the entire structure given that it is aged and has several related challenges.
The ministry said it initiated a process to put the project to tender, but no bid was submitted which met the required criteria.
"Security concerns regarding the location where the rehabilitative work is to take place resulted in a limited and inadequate expression of interest in the project. Therefore, the tender process was aborted," the ministry said.
The ministry said it later engaged the services of Rural Water Supply Limited to undertake a structural report to inform the scope of works and embarked upon the process of utilising the restricted bidding procurement methodology to have the work carried out as soon as possible.
However, the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) did not support use of the restricted bidding procurement process, it said.
"Consequently, the Ministry moved to utilise the national competitive bidding process. The approval of the PPC was received November 18, 2024, and the Ministry immediately engaged with the selected contractor and issued a 'Commencement of Works' letter. It is anticipated that the contractor will commence work starting November 19, 2024," the ministry informed.
The ministry expressed regret about the injury reportedly caused to a senior citizen due to the collapse of the staircase at the housing scheme, however, it said it was "bound by law to await the decision of the PPC before causing work to commence."
The Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation further explained that Golding has over the past few years had conversations with ministry personnel towards having the corrective work carried out and was repeatedly briefed on the challenges being experienced, including security concerns, which have delayed commencement of the work.
It said Golding had proposed that an individual be contracted to have the repair work executed.
"However, the individual was not assessed to meet the criteria required or to possess the technical expertise which are necessary for a contractor to be engaged to conduct the major repairs which are required," the ministry stated.
It said the Government is undertaking a general review of the procurement process with a view of increasing efficiency.
In the meantime, the ministry said it recently signed a contract valued at $22.7 million to facilitate housing infrastructure remedial work in Wilton Gardens, which falls in the Opposition Leader's constituency.
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