The local affiliate of the Dutch offshore contractor and maritime services provider – Boskalis Guyana Inc – has pulled out of the race to build the new Demerara Harbour Bridge but has not given government a reason, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill says.

As such, only four Chinese companies are now contesting to win the contract and they last week submitted financial proposals.

“They have not indicated to us why…,” Edghill told Stabroek News yesterday when contacted.

Presenting their bids on Friday last, one company gave government a choice of three options, while two companies proposed two options and the other company only one option.

The names of the companies and their bids for the respective options to build and design the Demerara Harbour Bridge are shown in the table below.

The National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) has appointed an evaluation panel that is presently looking at the financials.

There has been a major controversy over the decision by the Environmental Protection Agency not to require an Environmental Impact Assessment for the project. This decision has been appealed and the Environmental Assessment Board has to give a date on when it comes up for hearing.

The Minister of Public Works anticipates that evaluations would be completed within a month and other legal matters sorted out so that a contract could be signed before the end of this year.

Edghill explained that the NPTAB has already assigned an evaluation committee but he feels that the process might take a little more time than regular evaluations, given the scope of the project.

“Normally, when bids are opened, evaluators are given two to three weeks…but as it is a complex undertaking, it might take a bit more time…I am just suspecting that because of the complexity it might take a little longer.” Edghill posited.

“The expectation is to have a preferred bidder identified and then we get all of the necessary negotiations which will lead to a contract signing,”  he added.

The Public Works Minister underscored the importance of having the bridge completed as he pointed to daily traffic congestion, especially for those going to or coming from the West Bank of Demerara. “The bridge is a necessity, it is of utmost importance. Delays are something we want to avoid, but we must also ensure we do whatever we are doing in a meticulous manner to ensure we have the best deal,” he said.

After the signing of the contract this year, the selected contractor will design and build the bridge, which has a two-year “non-negotiable” completion deadline.

The bidding document had specified  the criteria required for making a bid on the project. It stipulated that bidders present proposals for a Design, Build and Finance (DBF) option, or alternatively, Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Maintain (DBFOM).

The Scope of Works in the design/build contract included the complete design and construction of a two-lane dual carriageway (four-lane), hybrid cable-stayed centre-span bridge with concrete box/T-beam girder approach bridge structures, and must include bridge collision protection, a navigation span to accommodate Handymax vessel navigation aids, lighting, signage and all other ancillary works, an access road with a minimum of 50 meters up to abutments, toll-collection buildings and ancillary buildings on the West Bank of the Demerara River.

When completed, government wants a new four-lane, high-span fixed bridge in the vicinity of the current location and which terminates at Nandy Park on the East Bank of Demerara. “The new design of the Demerara Harbour Bridge will not require opening or retraction to allow for maritime traffic and will be built with a life span of at least 50 years,” the bidding document states.

Government has said that it may have to acquire those lands which fall into the path of the new location, which terminates at Nandy Park on the East Bank and La Grange on the West side, but a decision on that matter has not yet been made.

President Irfaan Ali had said that the new bridge would be a very high one standing at a minimum of 50 metres or as high as or higher than the Marriott Hotel to facilitate the clearance for vessels.