Delivery is what it’s about

She insists that the question of "jobs for the boys and girls" does not arise. "These companies are really management companies with all the contracts being outsourced," she said. Sahadeo also stressed that the companies will ensure everything is done correctly from design to implementation.

"So the private sector is getting all the jobs. It means that they will get it but what the Government will do is make sure it gets executed with a proper and efficient monitoring system."

"At the end of the day, we will deliver," she said in an interview at the Eric Williams Financial Complex in Port-of-Spain last week.

She is of the view that the present system fell short on delivery and needed to be fired up.

"If I were to create a separate legal entity where you would recruit the right personnel, reward them appropriately, do you think we could get that project complete?" she asked.

She has given the assurance that the limited liability companies formed to help government ministries undertake critical projects is not a shot in the dark and they will have to account for their actions.

It was at a March 5 post-Cabinet news conference at Whitehall, Sahadeo announced the formation of two limited liability companies :

The National Infrastructure Development Company (NIDCO) and’

The Education Facilities Company Limited (EFCO).

Both companies are designed to help the Ministries of Works and Transport and Education respectively, to complete several of their outstanding projects under the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP).

NIDCO, for example, will be responsible for managing $160 million worth of capital projects for the Ministry of Works and Transport.

Works and Transport Minister Franklin Khan identified the Uriah Butler Interchange, mass transit system, the national highways extension programme and the Mamoral Dam as NIDCO’s top priority projects.

At a subsequent post-Cabinet news briefing on March 23, Sahadeo announced the formation of another limited liability company — the Rural Development Corporation (RDC) — to focus on expediting large-scale rural development projects which fell under several ministries, including Local Government and Agriculture, and have been stalled for one reason or another.

The idea to create these entities had its genesis at a February 28 Cabinet retreat in St Ann’s, during which Prime Minister Patrick Manning raised concerns about the length of time being taken by certain ministries to implement certain key projects that fell within their portfolios.

Sahadeo explained that the rationale behind the companies was the continued inability of the Public Service to deliver on certain key projects.

She said this was evident given the fact that the PSIP now stood at $2.1 billion, the supplmentary PSIP was $7.4 billion

Sahadeo said the PSIP has been growing over the years and now stood at $2.1 billion, with a supplementary PSIP of $7.4 billion to be executed by existing state enterprises.

She said Government was aware that public service reform was the long-term solution to correcting these deficiencies but while such reforms were currently in train, the question remained about how to implement these critical PSIP projects in the interim. This is where the limited liability companies come in.

The structure of a private company, she said, forces "a high level of governance and accountability" and the public will be made fully aware of all of the projects which these limited liability companies have been mandated to deliver.

Recalling previous concerns about the roles and responsibilities of State Enterprises under previous administrations, Sahadeo said this would not be the case with these new entities.

"I believe in making an entity one which we identify the purpose, hold them accountable and really measure output and delivery. If you want delivery on something, you have to plan it. Structure the organisation appropriately to move forward. More and more, we are calling and making sure that people are held accountable," the minister declared.

NIDCO and EFCO have already been formed while a board of directors still has to be appointed for the RDC.

Sahadeo said the companies will be dissolved after the projects are delivered.