‘Barber shop’ company gets $300 MILLION computer contracts
JULY 21, 2011 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER NEWS
Digital Technology, the company which was handed two Government contracts valued at a $293 million to supply computers and related equipment to schools, has been found to have as its head office what is now a Brooklyn, USA barber shop, in a case that bears a striking resemblance to Fip Motilall. Motilall pocketed a US$15.4 contract to build access roads to the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project, but investigations by this newspaper revealed his US address to be but a sari and puja shop in Florida.
54 Public Rd. Grove E.B.D., the company’s head office in Guyana
Now, investigations by this newspaper have unearthed facts about Digital Technology that could mirror the startling revelations about Fip Motilall and his company. On July 13, Digital Technology Group of Companies (as it was registered in Guyana) was awarded a contract valued at $223 million for the supply of 1,400 desktop computers to 70 schools across the country. On Monday last, the Education Ministry awarded a further $70 million to the same company to provide more computers, plus servers and overhead projectors. Digital Technology in Guyana is in fact listed as the Caribbean and Latin America Office of a company that goes by the name Digital Waves Technology Inc., which has as its Head Office this address: 3154 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11208.
Three months ago, checks by this newspaper revealed that this address housed a company called Assets Realty Inc. Today, the property has been remodeled and renamed “Antonio and Martin Barber Shop” as further checks revealed, yesterday. Upstairs of the building serves as rented apartments. For that Head Office address, the company lists its contact information as the mobile number: 347-410-9772. Calls to that number result in the voicemail: “Hello, you’ve reached Cliff David. Please leave a message after the tone and I’ll get back to you shortly. Thank you for calling.” In Guyana, the company’s local address is 54 Grove Public Road, East Bank Demerara. This address is part of a business complex at Grove, which did not have a single computer to sell recently when a Kaieteur News reporter researching bidders for the government’s One Laptop Per Family project visited. The reporter was directed to the company’s office in Sandy Babb Street, Kitty, and the result was no different. Digital Technology in Guyana was one of the companies which put in a bid to supply the government 27,000 laptops under a US$9 millon project. However, the company’s bid, along with the two other bidders, was not successful and the project went to a re-tender.
Krishendat Sukhu
Pulandar Kandhi
Minister Shaik Baksh
When Kaieteur News contacted the company to speak with its Chief Executive Officer, Krishendat ‘Terrence’ Sukhu, the person answering the phone said he was not in the office. Further calls yielded the same results, and messages for Sukhu to return calls for clarification went unanswered. On Monday, this newspaper was told that Sukhu was out of the country and would possibly return in two weeks.
At the contract signing on July 13, Education Minister Shaik Baksh, said that Sukhu had already procured some of the computers and that he was expected to complete delivery by the end of the first term. Mr Sukhu explained that the computers would be Dell made, and acquired through its Central American agency. They would have the standard USB ports and 250-gigabyte hard drives. Initially, there were queries about the ability of the company to actually procure the computers before it had signed the contract, but a source close to the company said that from the time the tenders were open and Mr Sukhu learnt that he had won the tender with the lowest bid, he set about procuring the computers.
Digital Technology boasts of being a world-class management team with direct knowledge of the industry, extensive research experience, and unique administration skills. The company claims to deliver Computer Hardware, Software, Surveillance Systems, Training, VOIP and Networking, Computer and related equipment servicing to customers, and commenced integration and Support of Wireless Internet from February 2006. The company was in fact incorporated in Guyana in June 2, 2009. It also states on its website that it currently hosts approximately 10 websites and has five collocated servers. The company does not list the name of these websites it hosts.
On Monday, when asked about the programme of due diligence performed by the Ministry of Education, Permanent Secretary Pulandar Kandhi, said that the various contractors were subjected to a rigorous examination by the Central Tender Board and by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), which is funding one of the computer programmes by the Ministry. However, Digital Technology was not subjected to such scrutiny since its project was outside the scope of the CDB.
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Indeed, ray.
try and duplicate the calling of the above number. I tried but no success. 