Immediate Past-President of the Builders and Construction Association of Dominica (BCAD), Anthony Le Blanc, said in a statement on Monday that local contractors are currently being engaged in the World Bank Housing Project as a result of the association’s early intervention immediately after Hurricane Maria.
His statement followed comments made by Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit during his Annou Pale talk show recently where he promised local contractors “a slice of the cake” as far as government projects are concerned.
The PM stated that empowerment of local contractors is government’s priority. He said the homes that were recently built in Wesley, were all constructed by local contractors and pointed to the further utilization of local contractors in the construction of health centres.
“Yes, local contractors are engaged in the World Bank’s Housing Recovery Project, but it is as a result of BCAD’s early intervention immediately after Hurricane Maria where BCAD engaged and influenced the World Bank in the design of this project to ensure that small contractors had the opportunity to be engaged,” Le Blanc remarked.
He continued, “It is a tremendous pity that more than 74 of our contractors did not participate. This has absolutely nothing to do with the Prime Minister. As a matter of fact, if he could have undone it, or reversed it like the continuity of CVQ training, he would have!”
Le Blanc added, “It is BCAD’s fault in that it has not been boasting about this and many more of the success stories where contractors have benefitted!”
He said it is worth noting that although ACE Engineering Ltd is eligible to bid on these small housing projects, and has been invited to bid, it has not submitted tenders because the effort was meant to allow the smaller contractors opportunity for growth and to be engaged.
Leblanc said he believes that the jobs mentioned by the Prime Minister where local contractors are engaged are all jobs that are given to “his friends” in secret – “NO PUBLIC TENDERS, no transparency”, that the contractors are generally not directly engaged by government – “there is a middle man sucking out the marrow from the bone,” and the tenders are not open to transparent participation of all qualified local contractors.
“The Wesley case is typical of that, as some of these contractors are reporting getting a raw deal from the “middle man” hired by the Prime Minister,” he stated.
He argued that the government of Dominica wants the private sector to get the impression that one can only get a “slice of the cake” if you are prepared to engage in illicit practices.
“It is no wonder that the Prime Minister as Minister of Finance has presided over a new procurement act that has not only legalized corruption, but truly placed local contractors at a greater disadvantage,” he stated.
He went on to state that transparent access to “government projects” by local contractors, truckers and the average resident Dominican National should be an integral part of the development agenda for a good government interested in the development of its people.
In fact, Le Blanc pointed out that it should be a given that government procurement practices ensures that the target participants are those where growth is realized and employment is created nationally, and that poverty is progressively eliminated.
“That was one of the objectives of the procurement act repealed by the parliament led by the Prime Minister,” he noted.
With regards to the open tender that ACE Engineering Ltd won for building two (2) drill platforms for the geothermal project, LeBlanc said the project is funded by the UK Government and administrated by the World Bank.
“So in short, the Prime Minister did not have the opportunity to “slice that cake”! Therefore, ACE Engineering Ltd could participate, and did win, in its usual way, A FAIR AND TRANSPARENT PUBLIC TENDER,” he explained.
Secondly, he explained that in the tender process, the average submission by indigenous local companies was EC$8M.
However, as with the Kalinago Housing Project, one of the Prime Minister’s preferred “non-local” contractor, CIE Ltd, tendered amount was EC$26M.
“If the Prime Minister had control of this cake, Dominica would have paid more than three (3) times the value,” Le Blanc stated. “Dominica would never have been able to afford geothermal energy.”
He added, “This is a prime example of the danger of what could and does happen when there is NO OPEN and TRANSPARENT PUBLIC TENDER.”
Finally Le Blanc said the Prime Minister failed to indicate that the many other segments of the geothermal project have been, and is being funded externally, and hence it is not his “cake” to share slices inappropriately and at prices which would make the geothermal project unstainable and a failure.
He highlighted some points to ponder on:
- Why is the Prime Minister trying to pat himself on the back for saying he is doing something which is an integral part of his job description as Prime Minister? It is clear he is trying to make another excuse for not being able to create an environment which facilitates economic growth.
- When last was a tender for government construction work, funded by local funds, including CBI, been publicly advertised? When last was a local construction company been able to bid in an open transparent public tender for public sector work? When was the last time any private sector entity given the opportunity to participate in government procurement in an open transparent manner that was opened to the general public?
- Construction is traditionally a good economic indicator. The local building and construction sector has shrunk – we can hardly find enough to measure! Where is the furniture industry we once knew? Where are the truckers and the line of trucks at Rockaway? Where are the Contractors who were readily available to build the local housing stock?
- All praises to COVID-19, Hurricane Maria, and the other natural disasters. These have blinded us to the economic ruin of this country under the Prime Minister’s watch as Minister of Finance.
- Why are our foreign owned banks running away – if the economy was flourishing – if that corrupt practices of giving friends jobs and project was working for the economy and the whole country was benefiting?
Leblanc’s full written statement can be read below:
So anyone that disagree with the pm is lying? Mr really a god man? Those who defend are no more than trump supporters or the supporters of papa doc. You find them everywhere. No common sense just hive mentality. Oh well bread lines await. Yes cause this time of unwavering loyalty never ends well. Ask Jim Jones survivors.
If you Mr Remy Felix want it better.The housing recovery project is FUNDED by the GOVERNMENT of the commonwealth of Dominica with a grant from the World Bank.Every little labour child know that,BCAD is never mentioned.If it was for Leblanc local contractors would NEVER get a slice of the pie.Everybody with commonsense know that,and if Leblanc say Skerrit has nothing to do with the project,why is he posting BS about Skerrit,his friends and a middle man.Only AHOLES like Jonathan and IBO will believe that BS.
Anthony, you have an issue and jealousy for Pm Dr.Skerrit, for no reason at all, my advice to you and your lies it’s time to wash under neath your feet and drink the water secondly give Ugly Lenny, some to drink as well.
Mr Rany Felix,the HRP is sponsored by the Government of Dominica and a GRANT from the World Bank.READ,PROJECT COORDINATION of the HRP,and tell us who run things.Yes Sir.
Same old song all the time in Dominica.
“All tenders must be evaluated by a government entity even if it is World Bank or EU”
Really, Gen Jour and Lin Clown? No Sirrrrrrs!!
Tenders are evaluated by an independent consultant(s) appointed by the funding agency. You are entitled to your own opinion but certainly not your own facts
You all love to appear to speak from place of authority. So no government employee ever evaluate an EU tender? Stay there still and follow Tony.
But who tell you I am a sir na? I know very well how these tenders go and Ace is very tricksy.
But wait a minute….Leblanc has shares in DNO? After you give a long alleluia story you ending by saying his full written statement can be read below. I have to ask if he has shares in DNO.
Ok Mr. Leblanc, you come out and take your credit for the local contactors getting a piece of the pie. What part of the pie do you have? Tell us that too!!
Always something negative with this dude.
Thanks Mr Le Blanc for once again pointing out the hollowness of the empty envelope Dominca has as it’s leader and minister of finance. The simple test of where the country is financially and economically, since the double doctorate dude put himself up as an albatross around the neck of this country, is to look at the banking sector. Banks will follow money like ants follow sugar and sewo. The situation in Dominca is that the foreign banks which were long entrenched there have left. Not long ago in the 1980’s and 1990’s there were new foreign banks coming into the country where they saw opportunities. The economy was diversified and growing in real terms. Now with supposedly more money being made form the sale of of our birthright, there are more poor and hungry people. Let the corrupter in chief continue his “annou parleh ‘sott’ ” on DBS radio. Meanwhile nepotism, malfeasance and underdevelopment of the majority continues. The cake slicer is corrupt.
Any port for a storm.
Most Caribbean leaders and countries put their people first, second and even third. Only a clueless, unpatriotic, uncaring and inane prime minister would give preference in terms of employment to expatriots.
Dominica is unique. Only in this country Chinese, Arabs and people with a foreign accent get most government jobs/contracts , access to CBI $ billions and the biggest slices of the economic cake. By his policies, the ornamental Doctor has religated Dominicans to second class citizens in the country of their birth. No matter how mightily hard the blind diehards of Skerrit try, this can never be justified.
If bona fide Dominicans persist in turning a blind eye and continue to be unperturbed about the ‘invasion’ of the new colinizers, Mandarin would soon become the official language of this country.
That’s why China gives you aid, so the pay-back, their co Montreal xxx gets to call the shots to build. When you check, it’s a far better deal than we got from Euros and U.S in over 300yrs of colonization with all them little inferior colverts they built almost across our roads, and wasn’t us to praise them.
Gen Jour,I cannot agree with you more.”All tenders must be evaluated by a government entity even if it is World Bank or EU”.Listening to this guy over the years it is clear that he ALWAYS want the whole cake.GREED.AHOLES like IBO France will swallow any BS hook,line and sinker.Leblanc think Dominicans don’t know what the World Bank is all about.
Great that we still have intelligent, logical, inspired people in Dominica willing to speak up and not just for themselves but for the masses. Economic growth is important to sustain a country. Thriving industries with the ability to create jobs are necessary. PM prefers to keep the poor, poor.
I wish to applaud Mr. LeBlanc for his unambiguous bluntness. I hope this would inspire other people of influence to speak out against the blatant, corrupt practices of this grossly inept regime headed by a egomaniacal tyrant.
There needs to be a ground swell of support from a wide cross-section of the populace to POLITICALLY annihilate him and his sheep-like enablers from the political landscape of Dominica.
If he’s left unchecked in office, abject poverty, dispossession, mendicancy, police brutality, starvation wages, NCDs, economic dwarfism, political tribalism, ubiquitous corruption would remain permanent fixtures in Dominica.
Under Skerrit’s stewardship, Dominica is like a rudderless ship, just like a piece of driftwood, being tossed and battered by a soulless megalomaniac.
This dude is so confusing. Wasn’t he on Q95 praising the procurement act? Isn’t ACE engineering doing a Govt project in Jimmit but he doesn’t mention that. How can you compare cost of a platform to a whole housing project ? And when ACE has won the tender all of a sudden it’s not Government. I know that all tenders must be evaluated by a Government entity even if it is World Bank or EU. He think he smart and he alone that know how procurement really working.
I am confused. Isn’t he the principal of Ace Engineering, which currently has an over 9 mil contract on the geothermal project?
This guy is just one ungrateful sod. His father who was a very humble person must be turning in his grave.
The TRUTH wounds. It has brought out the wounded soldiers from their hideouts to shore up the diabolical, fake, double doctor.
Mr. Leblanc’s statements cannot be honestly contested so their excoriate the messenger. Whenever the goons of Skerrit attack you in their numbers, it means you are doing something good/right. They bring nothing but conflict and confusion. They are conflict salesmen/women.
Is anybody paying you? You spend your entire life on DNO. I know you did not win the megamillion, for if you did, I know you would have donated a million to the Government of Dominica to build a new public library.
You are precisely right. I would want the young aspirants to achieve as many degrees as you have claimed obtain. You are the only human that competes with a thermometer for degrees.
Interesting observations. So who is telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Is it Skerrit or is it LeBlanc?
Let the voting begin. If you voting Skerrit tick red and if you voting Leblanc tick green.
You forgot the name tony was called when he was in school? Am seeing the same behavior.
But why is it even an issue concerning our local contractors earning a living in their own country? The issue should be that our local contractors are so overwhelmed with work, that they (the local contractors) are seeking outside help. But as it appears, Skeritt prefer to put outsiders before Dominica. It’s sad to say that many of these contractors voted for Skeritt. Thus, they are not able to bark too loudly. So they too are sucking salt.
So you’re saying if I vote for a rep and they’re destroying my employment or business I should keep silent because I voted for them? That’s country bookie politics. Pure villager noises. Common man. I vote, I have a voice to criticize the rep I voted for.
@UTR, Did you understand what you read before making this comment which I have attempted to understand to no avail? Get some of that salt off your buccal cavity so that your equilibrium may maintain its balance. That Skerrit salt got you all worked up and foggy.