SSKIA to miss another World Cup
Mbongeni Mguni | Thursday May 15, 2014 11:44
Yesterday, Infrastructure, Science and Technology Minister, Johnnie Swartz told Mmegi that the scope of works was clear.
'It is only the completion of the main structure,' he said. 'The contractor is required to complete the structure according to the specifications of the original design. 'The other components of the project were long handed over.
'Government terminated Sinohydro's contract for the Airport's expansion in July 2012, after the Chinese giant failed to finalise the project within time and cost. At the termination, the Airport's construction was two years and two months beyond its deadline and about P150 million above the original P433 million budget.
Since the termination, work at the Airport has ground to a halt with scaffolding and covers around the terminal, while arriving and departing passengers are forced to negotiate their way through boarded walkways to access terminal facilities. The ministry had said it would conduct an assessment of the project's status before re-tendering.
In March, Swartz told Parliament that two contractors were in the running for the completion tender with an announcement due by May. On Tuesday, the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board announced that it had approved Stefanutti Stocks Botswana as the winner of the tender, with a 239-day deadline and a P142.6 million kitty.
Stefanutti's contract will focus on completion of the terminal building which was the only component of the original contract still outstanding. Swartz explained that the ministry had conducted an assessment of the bidders before making a recommendation to the Board.
Analysts believe the new development could mark a paradigm shift within public works in Botswana, which have lately been dominated by Chinese contractors such as Sinohydro.
Stefanutti Stocks Botswana, has a 23-year history in Botswana and a portfolio that includes landmark and prestigious buildings such as the Botswana Bureau of Standards headquarters, SADC headquarters, Ministry of Health headquarters, Airport Junction and Botswana Power Corporation Customer Service Centre, which was finalised in 2001.
Stefanutti's portfolio also includes the Botswana Development Corporation's towering Fairscapes skyscraper, which will be one of the country's tallest buildings when complete.
'We are quite confident that we can complete the contract within the time period and to the quality that it should be,' Stefanutti Stocks Botswana general manager, Tim Stow told Mmegi yesterday.
'This project is a prestigious job for our CV; for us to say that we have actually finalised the gateway to Botswana.
'When complete, the terminal building will boast a typical peak hour passenger capacity of 976 passengers. The Airport's expansion also involved the extension of the runway by one kilometre, provision of parallel taxiway and construction of dedicated cargo apron and additional hangers.