Government chose port bid for $3m more
Hon McKeeva Bush,
Chairman of the Port Authority
Friday, May 6, 2005
The process of tendering over Government projects is coming under fire once
again. This time, two local construction firms say their joint bid for the Port
development was almost $3 million lower than the one actually awarded to Misener
Marine to develop the new George Town port.
A joint-venture bid for the new port project was made by local contractors
McAlpine and Arch & Godfrey but a spokesperson for the two firms said that once
they submitted their bid they heard nothing more until the award to Misener was
announced.
“Even though the bid we submitted was close to $3 million dollars less than the
one awarded, our bid was overlooked and we can see no sensible reason why, and
are entirely puzzled by the tendering process on this occasion.”
The spokesperson told Cayman Net News that no explanation had ever been given
for the refusal of their bid and that it was clear, once again, that Caymanians
were not getting value for money as yet another contract went to an overseas
firm.
“Nor is this the first time,” recalled the spokesperson. “We were also all ready
to make a bid regarding the Turtle Farm development only to find that no
tendering process seemed to take place at all.”
Criticism has been levelled by various local firms over recent contracts ranging
from the Affordable Housing Initiative (AHI) to MC Restoration.
An Auditor General’s report criticised the tendering process in respect of the
AHI contract and, although the report on MC Restoration has not yet been
officially placed in the public domain, it has been suggested that the Auditor
General again criticised the tendering process, among other things in respect of
that contract.
In the case of the Misener contract, Cayman Net News reported in March that on
29 April 2003, Hon McKeeva Bush, in his various capacities of Leader of
Government Business, Chairman of the Port Authority Board and Minister of
Tourism, wrote a letter to John L Bolles, Vice President of Misener Marine
Construction, Inc. of Tampa, Florida.
The letter in question stated that Hon McKeeva Bush, on behalf of the Port
Authority of the Cayman Islands, thereby gave Misener Marine an exclusive right
to design, build and finance a cruise ship berthing facility in George Town.
However, it is understood that Misener Marine subsequently received a demand
from the Port Authority personnel to supply a copy of this letter to the
Director because the Authority had not previously been aware of its contents,
even though it purports to bind the Authority.
The copy of the letter as supplied by Misener Marine to the Port Authority
appears to indicate on the header line that the original letter from Hon McKeeva
Bush was faxed to Misener from the offices of Quarry Products Ltd in Grand
Cayman and not, as one would expect, from either the Cayman Islands Government
or the Port Authority.
Cayman Net News submitted a list of questions concerning the letter in question
to John Bolles at Misener, without response even some two months later.
In particular this newspaper also asked Mr Bolles if he was able to explain why
such a letter would have been faxed to Misener in the first instance from Quarry
Products Ltd and not from the offices of the Government or the Port Authority,
and whether, at the time of receipt of the letter, if he made any enquiries as
to why it was not faxed to Misener from an official source.
Mr Bolles was also queried about the involvement of Quarry Products in the
contract in question and if he was aware at the time that neither the Director
nor the Board of the Port Authority had any prior knowledge of the letter in
question or of its contents.
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