19,884 persons want 16 NHA houses

This was revealed in the Senate yesterday by Junior Minister of Housing, Anthony Roberts, answering a question by UNC Senator Wade Mark.

Roberts was not so accommodating, however, when Mark asked for the names of the applicants for some 35 townhouses on the same site. Providing these names, argued Roberts, would undermine confidentiality between the Ministry of Housing and its clients. Mark asked if the information could be obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, to which Roberts said he would find out.

Roberts disclosed that eight contractors had tendered to build the townhouses, and he listed their bids. The list showed the contract was awarded to the company with the second lowest bid, but the lowest bidder did not state when the job would be done. The contract went to Nadel and Company Ltd at a price of $6,315,197 to be done in six months.

Roberts said the ministry’s quantity surveyors had originally estimated that the job would cost $6,313,927 to be done in four months.

UNC Senator Sadiq Baksh alleged that it was strange that the winning bid was so close to the quantity surveyor’s estimate. "Even the numbers look similar," he quipped. Mark asked Roberts who had overseen the tendering process, but the minister did not know.

Replying to another question, Roberts said seven contractors had bid to build 26 two-unit duplexes at Ramgoolie Trace. RTK Engineering had won with a bid of $11,301,953, while the quantity surveyors had originally estimated the job would cost $11,130,255.

Mark said this was the second instance of the best bid being very close to the quantity surveyors’ estimate.

"Isn’t it kind of strange? Something seems to be amiss and requires investigation. Do you intend to investigate this development?" he asked Roberts. The minister replied that he had no problem conducting an investigation.

The UNC yesterday repeated its charges that the Government has been using developments like Ramgoolie Trace to house its supporters in marginal constituencies.