Previous Story
‘Change orders’ blamed in school project delay
|
Posted on Mar 16 1999
With two expenditure authorities for the project and change orders continue to pour in, the Public School System will not be able to open the Kagman Elementary School in August as scheduled.
“We are heading for a disaster because we use the dirty word of ‘change orders’,” Board of Education member Anthony Pellegrino told colleagues during the recent CIP Committee meeting of PSS.
He said the Kagman project has two expenditure authorities, the Department of Public Works control its $4 million budget, while the Commissioner of Education Rita H. Inos was named for its $2.5 million funding.
Since its ground breaking in November, the project is not even 8 percent done and change orders have revised its original plans and funding.
Following this recent debacle on its construction project, the Board has revived the resolution it adopted last year in seeking sole expenditure authority for all PSS projects.
A provision stating that change orders should have prior approval from PSS will be added on to the resolution.
Unlike the DanDan school project which will open this month, Kagman started with a protest filed by one of the bidders, Fletcher Construction Co. Ltd.
The company claimed that it offered the lowest bid and DPW Technical Service Director Andy Smith made a recommendation to award the project to Fletcher. This was concurred by the Division of the Procurement and Supply. However, the project was given to PAC United Corp. Ltd.
With these problems, the completion of the project has been moved more than once. The recent target date is set in October.
Kagman school was earlier tapped to welcome 600 students in August coming from Papagu, Laolao Bay, Kagman I to III and As Teo.
