CHIEF executive officer of the National Works Agency EG Hunter is confident that the agency will be able to execute the Government’s $40-billion road rehabilitation programme within budget and within the stipulated two-year timeline despite the absence of a legislative framework within which to carry out the work.

Pointing out that the Shared Prosperity Through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) programme is “very ambitious and aggressive,” Hunter said that the NWA, having devised a sound plan for execution, is up to the task even with a possible additional spend of $5 billion for associated water supply works in the two years.

“The capacity of the country to spend $45 billion in two years in all parishes and in all constituencies simultaneously posits a very demanding prescription for us, the technocrats, to be able to deliver that. And so what we have done is to sit down, brainstorm and craft a programme…we’re optimistic that the programme that we have crafted will deliver the result,” said Hunter during Wednesday’s post-Cabinet media briefing at Jamaica House.

He said that addition to the very high budget of $45 billion and the aggressive timeline of two years, there is no special legislative mechanism by which this programme is to be implemented, “so it has to be implemented obeying the public investment requirements. It has to be implemented obeying the requirements of the Public Procurement Act and all the other protocols.”

“So if you consider that the average contract of $60 million and over takes on average about 12 to 15 months to be led, the question is, how are we going to spend $45 billion in two years in every constituency in every parish and stick within the rules?” questioned Hunter before answering his own question, “We think we have done a good job in terms of how we have conceptualised the programme”.

In the meantime NWA’s senior director, project implementation, Varden Downer told the media briefing that the agency is trying its best to ensure that the budget is tight as is possible.

“But, like with everything, we will have to be agile should there be situations where additional works may be required,” said Downer.

He noted that a dedicated project management team, led by the NWA, will be in place to oversee the programme which involves the award of contracts to undertake the works in four packages.

Package one encompasses Kingston, St Andrew, St Thomas; package two — St Catherine and Clarendon; package 3 — Manchester, St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, and Hanover; and package four — St James, Trelawny, St Ann, St Mary, and Portland.

The work will include pavement resurfacing/rehabilitation; sidewalk rehabilitation; drainage improvements; waterline improvements; retaining wall construction; and intersection improvement at strategic locations.

In his contribution to the post-Cabinet media briefing, minister with responsibility for works Robert Morgan announced that five international construction companies were successful at the pre-qualification stage in the bidding process for the SPARK contracts.

He said that eight construction companies responded to the bids and of the eight, two were local.

“This week we will be sending out bid proposals to those five pre-qualified enterprise construction companies and these proposals will be for them to bid on the four packages that are across the island. And we expect those bid proposals to be returned by mid-August and then we will seek approval from the Public Procurement Commission, as well as Cabinet, to award contracts by the end of September this year,” said Morgan as he again responded to claims that Jamaican contractors will not be a part of SPARK programme.

“There was some concern by local contractors about their inclusion in the process, and I want to assure them I met with the Incorporated Masterbuilders Association [of Jamaica] and we had very positive conversations. I assured them that a part of the procurement process will ensure that local contractors are an essential part of the SPARK programme,” said Morgan.

He had previously said that all international contractors participating in the process are mandated to have local partners, aligning with global best practices.

SPARK is a road improvement project aimed at modernising more than 2,000 roads islandwide.

The programme also forms the basis of a comprehensive road infrastructure management strategy, including the development of a comprehensive register of all roads, and an alignment of engineering lifetime schedules with budgetary allocation.