Thursday, January 10, 2008

Simbao warns contractors

Simbao warns contractors
By Mwala Kalaluka
Thursday January 10, 2008 [03:00]

WORKS and supply minister Kapembwa Simbao has declared that days of begging and pleading with contractors on the proper implementation of developmental projects are over. Addressing a press briefing on Tuesday, where he announced Tomorrow Investments’ deregistration, Simbao said the relationship between contractors and his ministry would be anchored on quality works and nothing else.

“I did say that 2008 will be a different year. In 2007, I kept on pleading with people, I kept on begging with contractors because I thought we should get to know each other. I am sure they have come to know me and they have come to know what everyone in this ministry stands for,” he said.

“It will not be a question of knowing each other as friends, or money or anything like that. It will just be the quality of the road and buildings that the contractor has made.”

Simbao said this time around, contractors would have to explain how they have utilised development funds.

He said the Ministry of Works and Supply would only tolerate contractors that undertake works that were acceptable to the users.
“The users are the final determiners of whether that road is good or bad, not the contractor or the consultant. No!” Simbao said.

“I have said that 2008- Action, if you do not perform we will take action and action will be to blacklist you or to deregister you. Tomorrow Investments, in serious terms, is not the first one.”

He said other contractors with a poor history of performance would suffer the same fate as Tomorrow Investments’.

Stakeholders in the construction industry on Monday held a meeting to discuss the possible ‘deregistration’ of Tomorrow Investments’ following a string of uncompleted projects in some parts of the country.

The Auditor General’s office has pledged to conclude investigations into the allegations levelled against Tomorrow Investments by Friday and the National Council for Construction (NCC) has already submitted its recommendations on the issue to the investigators. NCC has been directed not to renew the contractor’s registration.

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