43 contractors may face suspension over delayed infra projects – Villar

Over 40 contractors behind more than 400 delayed infrastructure projects of the government are on the verge of being suspended and eventually blacklisted, Public Works and Highways Chief Mark Villar bared.

Due to delays on the more than 400 projects, Villar said, a total of 43 contractors are now the subject of proceedings for suspension.

“Nasimulan na namin ‘yung proceedings for suspensions of 43 contractors for more than 400 projects. So, tututukan namin ‘yung implementation ng project and kasama ito sa programa ng DPWH para ma-improve yung implementation ng mga proyekto (We have started the proceedings for suspensions of 43 contractors for more than 400 projects. We will closely monitor the implementation of the project and this is under the programs of the DPWH to improve the implementation of the projects),” Villar told reporters Wednesday during the ocular inspection for the bridge projects in Intramuros.

The contractors will be “eventually blacklisted,” following proceedings, Villar added.

The secretary revealed that the 43 contractors “have been identified through a software the agency has put up to monitor the implementation of projects.”

These contractors, he furthered, have been discovered to have “huge slippage” on the projects they are implementing.

“In fact we measure the percentage of delays. Kapag 15 percent (delayed) critical na ‘yun (If it’s 15 percent delayed, that’s already critical),” Villar said.

“So, in that point we require them to come up with an action plan in an exactable time period. Kung hindi nila magawa ‘yung action plan, ica-cancel na namin yung kontrata (If they could not do the action plan, we cancel the contract). Then we have to continue with the project, ipapa-bid namin sa iba (we will bid it to others),” Villar added.

He stressed that whenever the agency discovers a slippage on the projects, “they act on it right away by canceling the contract and then awarding it to another in order to continue the project so as not to cause more delays.”

The Commission on Audit (COA) earlier released a reports stating that “334 infrastructure projects of the agency worth R40.92 million have various technical defects.” The projects involve school buildings, roads, hospitals, and health centers among others.

Villar clarified that they have already given the contractors 30 days to repair the defects on the projects.