Evaluation and Award of Contract under SPARK by Sept. 30

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has informed that evaluation and award of contract under the Shared Prosperity Through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) Programme, will be done by September 30, 2024.

Mr. Holness made the disclosure during a statement to the House of Representatives on Tuesday (May 21).

Approximately 70 roads identified during consultations on the SPARK Programme have been referred to the National Works Agency (NWA) to be scoped and costed.

The Prime Minister noted that in order to obtain the best available skills for effective management and implementation of these works, “we are undertaking them using competitive bidding that is advertised internationally”.

“Let me be clear, under international competitive bidding our local entities are encouraged and, indeed, expected to submit tenders singly or in association with other local contractors or they can form a consortium with local and international companies,” Mr. Holness pointed out.

He informed that the pre-qualification documents would have been available for download as of Monday, April 22 and the tender period will now close on Friday, May 24, 2024.

The award will be done in four packages of approximate equal value: Package 1 – Kingston, St. Andrew, St. Thomas; Package 2 – St. Catherine, Clarendon; Package 3 – Manchester, St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover; and Package 4 – St. James, Trelawny, St. Ann, St. Mary, and Portland.
Ten construction companies (six local and four international) participated in the Pre-bid Meeting for Pre-qualification.

“It is to be noted that since the pre-bid meeting was not compulsory, it is possible that additional companies will submit proposals by the closing date. Evaluation will be done by May 31, 2024 to select pre-qualified bidders based on established criteria, including capacity and work experience. Pre-qualified bidders will be invited to submit Bid Proposals by August 15, 2024,” Mr. Holness said.

He added that the bid proposals will be informed by the main roads that have been selected by the NWA and from constituencies coming out of the consultations.

“It is, therefore, crucial that consultations happen as expeditiously as possible. Ideally, we would like to have all roads selected by the end of June. We are working assiduously to ensure the efficient implementation of these works,” Mr. Holness said.

The SPARK programme is allocated $40 billion, which is divided equally between main roads under the jurisdiction of the NWA and secondary and community roads that are under the control of the municipal corporations or the NWA.

The programme is to be implemented over a two-year period, and works will include pavement resurfacing/rehabilitation, sidewalk rehabilitation, drainage improvements, waterline improvements, retaining wall construction and intersection improvement at strategic locations.