Minister chides Chinese contractors

FREDERICK KEBADIRETSE
Staff Writer | Monday May 3, 2010 00:00

 

Minister Johnnie Swartz made the call at a consultative meeting between MIST and the Chinese contractors at the GICC last Thursday.

Swartz told the contactors that delays in delivering government projects leads to budget overruns and for a small economy like Botswana, this could run the country into a serious deficit.

'We therefore can no longer risk the potential for cost overruns on these projects,' Swartz said. The minister also appealed to the contractors, supervising engineers and client ministries to refrain from changing project scopes that in the majority of cases lead to huge increase in costs.  He raised a concern with the contractors for their continuous failure to utilise the locally available skilled labour in their projects as well as their minimal use of locally produced materials in construction.

'The majority of your projects are out of schedule and budget, and you use locally produced materials minimally despite government efforts to encourage you to source your supplies locally,' he said. He also lambasted the contractors for what he referred to as 'poor workmanship' evident in some of the facilities they built in Good Hope and Shoshong Senior Secondary Schools.  The two facilities have required substantial maintenance since the contractors handed them over to government.

He reminded the contractors that they are not only here for themselves but ambassadors of their nations and that it is important that their quality of work is second to none as the structures will forever represent their legacy and their country's contribution to the socio-economic development of Botswana.

The contractors told the minister that delays in project delivery is often not their fault as they form the last line in the process of project implementation. They said most of the time  delays are in planning and consultation, which eats up the time of the contractors because they end up starting the projects late while still waiting for the consultants to finish their job.

'Cost overrun is usually a problem from the consultants, not to be addressed by the contractors,' said one company director.

They asked the government to also engage these other forerunners in project implementation so that they can deliver their projects on time without any delays.

The contractors also complained about an inadequate labour force in the country that cannot cope with the demand.  They said to make matters worse, it is very difficult to obtain work permits for imported labour and if they manage, they are harassed by the police at construction sites, which leads to further delays in completing their work.

The Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB) executive chairman, Armando Lionjanga, made a presentation on the tender award processes as well as measures of suspension and de-listing of under-performing contractors in the execution of contracts entered into with government.

The permanent secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs (MLHA), Segakweng Tsiane, addressed issues of labour-related conflicts with the contractors, including health and occupational safety at the sites and contractual matters between employees and the employer.  The Botswana Confederation of Commerce, Industry and Manpower (BOCCIM) was also represented at the meeting where they presented on the impact on the economy of the failure by the private sector to perform.

There are currently 24 Chinese construction companies engaged in major government projects at an estimated total cost of P20 million. They are involved in the building of the new terminal building at the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (SSKA).

The ministry has since last year started efforts to improve project implementation. These include, among others, regular inspection of construction sites by senior management and the minister to assess progress and recommend appropriate interventions.