Humphrey defends fast-track method

FORMER Housing Minister John Humphrey, who chaired the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Piarco airport development project, yesterday defended the fast-track method used to construct the Piarco airport development project.

Humphrey said there were no risks involved in the method and he was perfectly satisfied that it was the wise and appropriate method to adopt as was recommended by Birk Hillman Consultants (BHC) who professed to be experts in the method. He said he would recommend the fast-track method be used again, even today, because there was nothing in his experience on the project which persuaded him to take a second view of the method. He said the method only had advantages if properly applied. He also said Cabinet, based on his recommendation, approved the construction of the second floor connector without knowing the actual cost of the work. He said he had advised Cabinet that if they didn’t do the additional work now, it would be too costly later on. Users of the airport had requested the additional space.

Humphrey spent another day being questioned at the Commission of Inquiry into the Piarco airport development project by NIPDEC’s attorney Christopher Hamel-Smith leading Jonathon Walker. Humphrey’s “stubbornness” also continued and Chairman Clinton Bernard in anticipation of flared tempers, brought his gavel to control the sitting, however, there was no need for it. Instead Bernard quietly warned Humphrey that he had to answer the questions asked by Hamel-Smith because the attorney was entitled to ask questions. Humphrey pointed out that based on Hamel-Smith’s questioning, it was a waste of time to get the truth, which he was there to give. Returning to the evidence though, he said the fast-track method allowed for flexibility, citing as an example the ability to enter into a contract with a contractor and still have the ability to negotiate the price. This occured with the CP9 contract with Northern Construction Limited (NCL). NIPDEC was told by the client, the government, that they should enter into the contract and then negotiate the price downward. NCL’s bid was in excess by millions of dollars compared to the engineers’ estimate for the contract.

Humphrey insisted that entering into such a binding contract did not weaken NIPDEC’s position to negotiate the contract downward. He said NIPDEC were bound to award the contract to NCL because it had opened the tender. He said the fast-track method also allowed for work on certain construction packages to be started without having completed drawings and specifications for other packages. Humphrey also said as Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee, he never made decisions on his own. He said he had the authority of Cabinet to make all decisions which arose on the project, except on certain occasions, example relating to the budget. He said some decisions were so urgent that it did not require Cabinet’s ratification immediately and Cabinet approval would be sought subsequent to the decisions being taken. Humphrey also said in his opinion there were not enough change orders in the project. He will continue to be questioned this morning. Also at yesterday’s hearing, Towfeek Ali, Managing Director of the Firearms Training Institute withdrew from the inquiry. In a letter to the Commission from his attorney Denyse Gouveia, Ali claimed the Commission was biased and had violated the rules of procedural fairness. He was summoned by the Commission to explain the existence of a contract his firm received from the Airports Authority to service the Authority’s firearms.