Courtney Benn says has no contract for Harbour Bridge project

Contractor Courtney Benn yesterday disputed the Ministry of the Presidency’s announcement of an award of a contract to his company for works on the Demerara Harbour Bridge.

“I have no such contract and that story has people calling me congratulating me saying ‘You get a big contract’ and even the bank probably taking note when it is not true,” Benn complained to Stabroek News yesterday.

“I have since called up Minister [of State Joseph] Harmon with my lawyer and spoken to him about it and he says he will get to the bottom of it,” Benn also informed.

On Thursday, Harmon announced a number of contracts that he said Cabinet had given its no object to at its February 21st meeting. The Ministry of the Presidency subsequently sent out a release of the contracts announced.

According to Harmon, Courtney Benn Contracting Services had secured a $177.9M contract and Cabinet granted its no objection to an $8.1M variation, bringing the contract figure to $186.1M. The contract purportedly entails the rehabilitation of 25 pontoons and the fabrication of 40 buoys and 40 pairs of connecting end post for the Demerara Harbour Bridge. “In fact, this was a request for an increase in the sum of eight million one hundred and eighty- nine thousand eight hundred and five dollars on the previous contract because the scope of work has changed,” Harmon explained.

But Benn said that both Harmon and the Ministry of the Presidency were wrong since the last contract he had for pontoon rehabilitation works was last year April and that contract was for $52.9M.

He wants both the Ministry of the Presidency and Harmon to inform the public that he has no such contract as the announcement has brought him much distress.

When contacted yesterday, Ministry of the Presidency Press Officer Mark Archer informed that the information disseminated through the Ministry of the Presidency press department as it pertains to contracts and other Cabinet briefs comes from advisor in the ministry Fred McWilfred. Archer explained that he tried contacting McWilfred but this proved futile. He promised to “sort out the matter” and to explain on Monday.

It is unclear if all the contracts read at the press briefing were inaccurate.