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brams112 wrote:nervewrecker wrote:abbow wrote:yup.....I wonder if that cow takes part in the night drags????
It does have drags
Ent you from on that side?how come I heard about the car chase sometime ago with the popo,but you ain't know about it.
nervewrecker wrote:brams112 wrote:nervewrecker wrote:abbow wrote:yup.....I wonder if that cow takes part in the night drags????
It does have drags
Ent you from on that side?how come I heard about the car chase sometime ago with the popo,but you ain't know about it.
All this bacchanal take place?
I try my best to stay far away from these immature little boys with moderately fast cars in this town. My name nasty enough with them.
xtech wrote:
This is pics from Debe behind the market onwards.
Tall brush... 4x4 is dwarfed. Can't see across to other side of highway
nervewrecker wrote:abbow wrote:yup.....I wonder if that cow takes part in the night drags????
It does have drags
abbow wrote:t-Singh where you living? delhi rd or gr tr side?
TurboSingh12 wrote:abbow wrote:t-Singh where you living? delhi rd or gr tr side?
Delhi Road.Wbu?
Highway Headache
Published on Apr 1, 2016, 3:41 pm AST
Updated on Apr 1, 2016, 3:45 pm AST
By The Multimedia Desk
GOVERNMENT revealed in Parliament on Friday that the Solomon Hochoy Highway extension project was less than half complete, that the contractor OAS Contructora had been paid $1 billion before they even began work, and that despite seeking backruptcy protection, the Peoples Partnership administration extended their contract on the last working day before the September 7 general election last year. The Government wants the Integrity Commission to investigate, and will be exploring legal aciton against OAS Contrutora. The following is the statement delivered by Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young -
Madame Speaker I have been authorised by the Cabinet to make the following statement on the Highway to Point Fortin.
Madame Speaker the process for the construction of this Highway was initiated by the previous PNM Government, through the invitation of tenders in early 2010. However, although tenders were received in April 2010, the contract was not awarded by the PNM prior to the May 24 General Election since the bids received were significantly higher than the engineer’s estimate of TTD$3.6Billion.
However, on March 4th, 2011, the former government, through NIDCO, awarded a Design-Build Contract to a Brazilian firm Construtora OAS SA (“OAS”) for the lump sum of approximately TTD$5.2Billion, or $1.6 billion more than the engineer’s estimate. This Contract was governed by the FIDIC Yellow Book.
A major benefit of utilising FIDIC terms and conditions is that, the terms and conditions are standard and internationally recognised. A party should only, with very good reason, amend the standard terms and conditions of FIDIC.
Despite this, the former government changed the standard and accepted advance payment term from 10% to 20%. This upward amendment resulted in OAS receiving approximately, TTD$856million, as opposed to TTD$428million as an advance.
Another major issue at inception was that all payments made to OAS for activities under the Letter of Intent, which totalled TTD$236.4million, should have been deducted from the Advance Payment. However, these sum were not deducted.
So even before construction began, the former government provided OAS with over TTD$1Billion of taxpayers’ funds.
This project should have been completed in March 2015. It was a 4 year contract, to provide a 4-lane divided highway with full grade separated Interchanges. It included 8 such Interchanges as well as 8 river bridges. It is still far from completion.
Madame Speaker, rather than utilise low interest rate funding for this Billion dollar project from a multilateral lending agency, such as the IDB, the former government paid OAS, and others, via cash transfers from the Ministry of Finance, up to 2014, putting a strain on the Country’s available cash.
Five years later, over TTD$5 Billion have been spent with only 49% of the construction being completed by OAS. This despite the UNC government telling the population, over and over, that it was on budget and on time.
In fact, the contract was in trouble from the start and OAS began to run into serious difficulties early in 2015. They defaulted on paying subcontractors and were late in paying workers. Their difficulties continued with worsening effect and they subsequently demobilised in December 2015, with the site being almost completely abandoned. They have not returned to work since then and there have been protests by workers for non payment of salaries, lawsuits by third parties and repossession of equipment.
Against this backdrop, OAS filed for Judicial Reorganisation in Brazil on the 31st March, 2015, whereby it sought bankruptcy protection. In law, and under the contract, OAS was considered to be bankrupt from March 31st, 2015.
By March 2015, therefore, the project was in dire difficulties and the former government should have been pursuing ways and means to terminate the contract with OAS to protect the public interest. Under FIDIC there are various ways to terminate, with varying degrees of complication and potential litigation.
However, virtually all commercial contracts allow for automatic termination upon a party declaring bankruptcy. Under the FIDIC contract, the UNC government could have, and should have, immediately invoked Clause 15(2)(e) and terminated OAS on the ground that it was bankrupt. This is probably the simplest and least contentious form of termination under FIDIC and OAS would not have been able to make any justifiable claim against the Government for wrongful termination.
However, what we discovered upon review was that, on September 4th, 2015, (that is the last working day before the general elections of September 7th, 2015,) the UNC government, rather than use this opportunity to terminate the contract in a clean, cost-effective and non-contentious manner, secretly entered into a written agreement with OAS whereby the government waived the ability to terminate the contract on the grounds of OAS’ bankruptcy. Instead, on September 4th, 2015 the UNC government, reaffirmed in writing, their desire to keep a company that was bankrupt in Brazil, as their preferred contractor for the Point Fortin Highway. This was done against the advice of NIDCO’s consultants.
On September 4th, 2015 the former government entered into a written agreement with OAS called Contract Addendum No. 2 whereby they expressly recognised that OAS was bankrupt, and stated, that they could invoke Clause 15.2(e) of the FIDIC contract immediately terminating the Contract. However, despite this, they proceeded secretly to give up this right of termination and waived all claims against OAS, thus releasing and discharging OAS from any liability to Trinidad and Tobago.
This action by the UNC government the day before a General Elections, requires an immediate investigation. They must now account to the population and explain why it is that they threw away the cleanest, easiest, most cost-effective and simplest opportunity to have terminated OAS.
Additionally, Madame Speaker, they also removed from OAS’ responsibility substantial sections of the Highway, with an intention to award the construction of these parts of the Highway to other contactors, at an additional cost to the taxpayer.
They removed 26% of the Highway works, worth $1.5 billion, from OAS’ contract, but surprisingly, still agreed to pay OAS $5 billion for the reduced scope of works that remained with OAS. They also agreed to a new completion date of May 28th, 2016, one year after the original completion date.
To summarise, on September 4th, 2015 when OAS was in bankruptcy, and was experiencing severe difficulty in meeting its obligations to local suppliers, subcontractors and its workers, rather than terminate OAS, the former government agreed to allow OAS to continue with the contract, for roughly the same sum they were originally contracted for, i.e. $5Billion. The UNC government went further, and burdened tax payers with the additional expenses of over $2 billion to pay new contractors to complete the portion of the Highway excised from OAS’ contract.
Further, in a curious attempt at what they have described as “value engineering”, they also removed 4 interchanges and replaced them with roundabouts and reduced 4 lanes to 2 lanes on the Siparia to Mon Desir segment of the Highway. So whilst the value of the product was being significantly reduced by the removal of interchanges and lanes, the costs were escalating. The estimated cost to complete the Highway is now in excess of $8 billion.
Because this decision to waive the right to terminate a bankrupt contractor is so blatantly wrong, it is the Government’s intention to request that the Integrity Commission investigate this travesty as there appears to be a breach of section 24 of the Integrity in Public Life Act, as persons performing their functions and administering public resources for which they were responsible, did not do so in a cost-effective or efficient manner. In fact, on the face of it, Contract Addendum No. 2 has the distinguishing features of a conspiracy which may require the attention of the law enforcement agencies.
In the interim, this Government is working towards the most cost effective solution to complete the Highway in the shortest possible time and we are also exploring all legal options available with respect to OAS and this contract.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20160401 ... y-headache
adnj wrote:That money could have been used to buy the steel mill and still have some cash left for doubles.
abbow wrote:i didnt see the pump thats usually there to help with the flow from the high tides....either it got stolen or went for a swim....
DVSTT wrote:All that material is just going to remain packed down to rust away or be stolen. Millions down the drain.
Habit7 wrote:Remember kids, Kamla has a plan!Highway Headache
Published on Apr 1, 2016, 3:41 pm AST
Updated on Apr 1, 2016, 3:45 pm AST
By The Multimedia Desk
GOVERNMENT revealed in Parliament on Friday that the Solomon Hochoy Highway extension project was less than half complete, that the contractor OAS Contructora had been paid $1 billion before they even began work, and that despite seeking backruptcy protection, the Peoples Partnership administration extended their contract on the last working day before the September 7 general election last year. The Government wants the Integrity Commission to investigate, and will be exploring legal aciton against OAS Contrutora. The following is the statement delivered by Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young -
Madame Speaker I have been authorised by the Cabinet to make the following statement on the Highway to Point Fortin.
Madame Speaker the process for the construction of this Highway was initiated by the previous PNM Government, through the invitation of tenders in early 2010. However, although tenders were received in April 2010, the contract was not awarded by the PNM prior to the May 24 General Election since the bids received were significantly higher than the engineer’s estimate of TTD$3.6Billion.
However, on March 4th, 2011, the former government, through NIDCO, awarded a Design-Build Contract to a Brazilian firm Construtora OAS SA (“OAS”) for the lump sum of approximately TTD$5.2Billion, or $1.6 billion more than the engineer’s estimate. This Contract was governed by the FIDIC Yellow Book.
A major benefit of utilising FIDIC terms and conditions is that, the terms and conditions are standard and internationally recognised. A party should only, with very good reason, amend the standard terms and conditions of FIDIC.
Despite this, the former government changed the standard and accepted advance payment term from 10% to 20%. This upward amendment resulted in OAS receiving approximately, TTD$856million, as opposed to TTD$428million as an advance.
Another major issue at inception was that all payments made to OAS for activities under the Letter of Intent, which totalled TTD$236.4million, should have been deducted from the Advance Payment. However, these sum were not deducted.
So even before construction began, the former government provided OAS with over TTD$1Billion of taxpayers’ funds.
This project should have been completed in March 2015. It was a 4 year contract, to provide a 4-lane divided highway with full grade separated Interchanges. It included 8 such Interchanges as well as 8 river bridges. It is still far from completion.
Madame Speaker, rather than utilise low interest rate funding for this Billion dollar project from a multilateral lending agency, such as the IDB, the former government paid OAS, and others, via cash transfers from the Ministry of Finance, up to 2014, putting a strain on the Country’s available cash.
Five years later, over TTD$5 Billion have been spent with only 49% of the construction being completed by OAS. This despite the UNC government telling the population, over and over, that it was on budget and on time.
In fact, the contract was in trouble from the start and OAS began to run into serious difficulties early in 2015. They defaulted on paying subcontractors and were late in paying workers. Their difficulties continued with worsening effect and they subsequently demobilised in December 2015, with the site being almost completely abandoned. They have not returned to work since then and there have been protests by workers for non payment of salaries, lawsuits by third parties and repossession of equipment.
Against this backdrop, OAS filed for Judicial Reorganisation in Brazil on the 31st March, 2015, whereby it sought bankruptcy protection. In law, and under the contract, OAS was considered to be bankrupt from March 31st, 2015.
By March 2015, therefore, the project was in dire difficulties and the former government should have been pursuing ways and means to terminate the contract with OAS to protect the public interest. Under FIDIC there are various ways to terminate, with varying degrees of complication and potential litigation.
However, virtually all commercial contracts allow for automatic termination upon a party declaring bankruptcy. Under the FIDIC contract, the UNC government could have, and should have, immediately invoked Clause 15(2)(e) and terminated OAS on the ground that it was bankrupt. This is probably the simplest and least contentious form of termination under FIDIC and OAS would not have been able to make any justifiable claim against the Government for wrongful termination.
However, what we discovered upon review was that, on September 4th, 2015, (that is the last working day before the general elections of September 7th, 2015,) the UNC government, rather than use this opportunity to terminate the contract in a clean, cost-effective and non-contentious manner, secretly entered into a written agreement with OAS whereby the government waived the ability to terminate the contract on the grounds of OAS’ bankruptcy. Instead, on September 4th, 2015 the UNC government, reaffirmed in writing, their desire to keep a company that was bankrupt in Brazil, as their preferred contractor for the Point Fortin Highway. This was done against the advice of NIDCO’s consultants.
On September 4th, 2015 the former government entered into a written agreement with OAS called Contract Addendum No. 2 whereby they expressly recognised that OAS was bankrupt, and stated, that they could invoke Clause 15.2(e) of the FIDIC contract immediately terminating the Contract. However, despite this, they proceeded secretly to give up this right of termination and waived all claims against OAS, thus releasing and discharging OAS from any liability to Trinidad and Tobago.
This action by the UNC government the day before a General Elections, requires an immediate investigation. They must now account to the population and explain why it is that they threw away the cleanest, easiest, most cost-effective and simplest opportunity to have terminated OAS.
Additionally, Madame Speaker, they also removed from OAS’ responsibility substantial sections of the Highway, with an intention to award the construction of these parts of the Highway to other contactors, at an additional cost to the taxpayer.
They removed 26% of the Highway works, worth $1.5 billion, from OAS’ contract, but surprisingly, still agreed to pay OAS $5 billion for the reduced scope of works that remained with OAS. They also agreed to a new completion date of May 28th, 2016, one year after the original completion date.
To summarise, on September 4th, 2015 when OAS was in bankruptcy, and was experiencing severe difficulty in meeting its obligations to local suppliers, subcontractors and its workers, rather than terminate OAS, the former government agreed to allow OAS to continue with the contract, for roughly the same sum they were originally contracted for, i.e. $5Billion. The UNC government went further, and burdened tax payers with the additional expenses of over $2 billion to pay new contractors to complete the portion of the Highway excised from OAS’ contract.
Further, in a curious attempt at what they have described as “value engineering”, they also removed 4 interchanges and replaced them with roundabouts and reduced 4 lanes to 2 lanes on the Siparia to Mon Desir segment of the Highway. So whilst the value of the product was being significantly reduced by the removal of interchanges and lanes, the costs were escalating. The estimated cost to complete the Highway is now in excess of $8 billion.
Because this decision to waive the right to terminate a bankrupt contractor is so blatantly wrong, it is the Government’s intention to request that the Integrity Commission investigate this travesty as there appears to be a breach of section 24 of the Integrity in Public Life Act, as persons performing their functions and administering public resources for which they were responsible, did not do so in a cost-effective or efficient manner. In fact, on the face of it, Contract Addendum No. 2 has the distinguishing features of a conspiracy which may require the attention of the law enforcement agencies.
In the interim, this Government is working towards the most cost effective solution to complete the Highway in the shortest possible time and we are also exploring all legal options available with respect to OAS and this contract.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20160401 ... y-headache
Cliff notes:
Engineer's estimate $3.6b, contract estimate $5.2b, PP propaganda estimate $7.5b.
$1b was given to OAS before work started.
Hway was supposed to be finished by March 2015, extended to May 28th 2016
Only 49% complete
PP extended their contract on PP's last working day in office (Sept 4 2015) when they could have fired the bankrupt contractor, against NIDCO's advice.
Works downgraded from 8 to 4 interchanges in lieu of roundabouts and Siparia to Mon Desir from 4 to 2 lanes. OAS payment unchanged.
New price tag +$8b
Habit7 wrote:Remember kids, Kamla has a plan!Highway Headache
Published on Apr 1, 2016, 3:41 pm AST
Updated on Apr 1, 2016, 3:45 pm AST
By The Multimedia Desk
GOVERNMENT revealed in Parliament on Friday that the Solomon Hochoy Highway extension project was less than half complete, that the contractor OAS Contructora had been paid $1 billion before they even began work, and that despite seeking backruptcy protection, the Peoples Partnership administration extended their contract on the last working day before the September 7 general election last year. The Government wants the Integrity Commission to investigate, and will be exploring legal aciton against OAS Contrutora. The following is the statement delivered by Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young -
Madame Speaker I have been authorised by the Cabinet to make the following statement on the Highway to Point Fortin.
Madame Speaker the process for the construction of this Highway was initiated by the previous PNM Government, through the invitation of tenders in early 2010. However, although tenders were received in April 2010, the contract was not awarded by the PNM prior to the May 24 General Election since the bids received were significantly higher than the engineer’s estimate of TTD$3.6Billion.
However, on March 4th, 2011, the former government, through NIDCO, awarded a Design-Build Contract to a Brazilian firm Construtora OAS SA (“OAS”) for the lump sum of approximately TTD$5.2Billion, or $1.6 billion more than the engineer’s estimate. This Contract was governed by the FIDIC Yellow Book.
A major benefit of utilising FIDIC terms and conditions is that, the terms and conditions are standard and internationally recognised. A party should only, with very good reason, amend the standard terms and conditions of FIDIC.
Despite this, the former government changed the standard and accepted advance payment term from 10% to 20%. This upward amendment resulted in OAS receiving approximately, TTD$856million, as opposed to TTD$428million as an advance.
Another major issue at inception was that all payments made to OAS for activities under the Letter of Intent, which totalled TTD$236.4million, should have been deducted from the Advance Payment. However, these sum were not deducted.
So even before construction began, the former government provided OAS with over TTD$1Billion of taxpayers’ funds.
This project should have been completed in March 2015. It was a 4 year contract, to provide a 4-lane divided highway with full grade separated Interchanges. It included 8 such Interchanges as well as 8 river bridges. It is still far from completion.
Madame Speaker, rather than utilise low interest rate funding for this Billion dollar project from a multilateral lending agency, such as the IDB, the former government paid OAS, and others, via cash transfers from the Ministry of Finance, up to 2014, putting a strain on the Country’s available cash.
Five years later, over TTD$5 Billion have been spent with only 49% of the construction being completed by OAS. This despite the UNC government telling the population, over and over, that it was on budget and on time.
In fact, the contract was in trouble from the start and OAS began to run into serious difficulties early in 2015. They defaulted on paying subcontractors and were late in paying workers. Their difficulties continued with worsening effect and they subsequently demobilised in December 2015, with the site being almost completely abandoned. They have not returned to work since then and there have been protests by workers for non payment of salaries, lawsuits by third parties and repossession of equipment.
Against this backdrop, OAS filed for Judicial Reorganisation in Brazil on the 31st March, 2015, whereby it sought bankruptcy protection. In law, and under the contract, OAS was considered to be bankrupt from March 31st, 2015.
By March 2015, therefore, the project was in dire difficulties and the former government should have been pursuing ways and means to terminate the contract with OAS to protect the public interest. Under FIDIC there are various ways to terminate, with varying degrees of complication and potential litigation.
However, virtually all commercial contracts allow for automatic termination upon a party declaring bankruptcy. Under the FIDIC contract, the UNC government could have, and should have, immediately invoked Clause 15(2)(e) and terminated OAS on the ground that it was bankrupt. This is probably the simplest and least contentious form of termination under FIDIC and OAS would not have been able to make any justifiable claim against the Government for wrongful termination.
However, what we discovered upon review was that, on September 4th, 2015, (that is the last working day before the general elections of September 7th, 2015,) the UNC government, rather than use this opportunity to terminate the contract in a clean, cost-effective and non-contentious manner, secretly entered into a written agreement with OAS whereby the government waived the ability to terminate the contract on the grounds of OAS’ bankruptcy. Instead, on September 4th, 2015 the UNC government, reaffirmed in writing, their desire to keep a company that was bankrupt in Brazil, as their preferred contractor for the Point Fortin Highway. This was done against the advice of NIDCO’s consultants.
On September 4th, 2015 the former government entered into a written agreement with OAS called Contract Addendum No. 2 whereby they expressly recognised that OAS was bankrupt, and stated, that they could invoke Clause 15.2(e) of the FIDIC contract immediately terminating the Contract. However, despite this, they proceeded secretly to give up this right of termination and waived all claims against OAS, thus releasing and discharging OAS from any liability to Trinidad and Tobago.
This action by the UNC government the day before a General Elections, requires an immediate investigation. They must now account to the population and explain why it is that they threw away the cleanest, easiest, most cost-effective and simplest opportunity to have terminated OAS.
Additionally, Madame Speaker, they also removed from OAS’ responsibility substantial sections of the Highway, with an intention to award the construction of these parts of the Highway to other contactors, at an additional cost to the taxpayer.
They removed 26% of the Highway works, worth $1.5 billion, from OAS’ contract, but surprisingly, still agreed to pay OAS $5 billion for the reduced scope of works that remained with OAS. They also agreed to a new completion date of May 28th, 2016, one year after the original completion date.
To summarise, on September 4th, 2015 when OAS was in bankruptcy, and was experiencing severe difficulty in meeting its obligations to local suppliers, subcontractors and its workers, rather than terminate OAS, the former government agreed to allow OAS to continue with the contract, for roughly the same sum they were originally contracted for, i.e. $5Billion. The UNC government went further, and burdened tax payers with the additional expenses of over $2 billion to pay new contractors to complete the portion of the Highway excised from OAS’ contract.
Further, in a curious attempt at what they have described as “value engineering”, they also removed 4 interchanges and replaced them with roundabouts and reduced 4 lanes to 2 lanes on the Siparia to Mon Desir segment of the Highway. So whilst the value of the product was being significantly reduced by the removal of interchanges and lanes, the costs were escalating. The estimated cost to complete the Highway is now in excess of $8 billion.
Because this decision to waive the right to terminate a bankrupt contractor is so blatantly wrong, it is the Government’s intention to request that the Integrity Commission investigate this travesty as there appears to be a breach of section 24 of the Integrity in Public Life Act, as persons performing their functions and administering public resources for which they were responsible, did not do so in a cost-effective or efficient manner. In fact, on the face of it, Contract Addendum No. 2 has the distinguishing features of a conspiracy which may require the attention of the law enforcement agencies.
In the interim, this Government is working towards the most cost effective solution to complete the Highway in the shortest possible time and we are also exploring all legal options available with respect to OAS and this contract.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20160401 ... y-headache
Cliff notes:
Engineer's estimate $3.6b, contract estimate $5.2b, PP propaganda estimate $7.5b.
$1b was given to OAS before work started.
Hway was supposed to be finished by March 2015, extended to May 28th 2016
Only 49% complete
PP extended their contract on PP's last working day in office (Sept 4 2015) when they could have fired the bankrupt contractor, against NIDCO's advice.
Works downgraded from 8 to 4 interchanges in lieu of roundabouts and Siparia to Mon Desir from 4 to 2 lanes. OAS payment unchanged.
New price tag +$8b
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