THA official: Dennis has no moral authority to criticise projects

Chief technical adviser to the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Division of Finance, Trade and the Economy, Anslem Richards, says design-build-finance arrangements with contractors were necessary as the central government did not give the THA enough funds for the development of Tobago.

In 2022, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine said his administration would be using this procurement model to advance Tobago's development. He said, "Design-build-finance means we are asking contractors to come with their own private money up front, do the work, and the THA takes its time to pay them back...That will mean, like with any good hire purchase, the THA will eventually pay more."

But PNM Tobago Council political leader Ancil Dennis on November 14 raised several questions about design-build-finance road contracts tendered by the THA in a media conference.

He claimed, on a number of occasions, although the contract stipulated the contractors would be paid 18 months after completion of the project, the contractors got significant funds from the THA despite the work being incomplete.

He also asked how one contractor who failed to complete a $25 million road project, got a second contract from the THA for over $186 million.

The latter was allegedly awarded by the Division of Settlements, Public Utilities and Rural Development for the construction of 20 two-bedroom units, 20 three-bedroom units, five apartment buildings and ten duplex buildings.

Richards said the central government gave the THA $205 million in the budget for development in Tobago, which included bridge repairs, clearing landslips, repairing health facilities, building and repaving roads, maintaining government buildings, repairing schools and more.

He said the THA cannot sit on its hands and leave Tobago stagnant, and the contractors had to be paid at some point.

“The question that Dennis needs to explain to the public is: why the THA is forced to get into these design-build-finance arrangements. It is because his government in Trinidad is not giving us the development funds we need to do the projects we are doing.”

He said the THA had to find a way to get infrastructure projects done and since it could not borrow funds, the design-build-finance arrangements allowed for work to be done.

“He must also explain to Tobagonians that they (former PNM administration) did the same thing. They left a $400 million liability doing the same design-build-finance arrangement with contractors. We have paid the contractors, thus far, about $75 million off of the liability.

“Where was Dennis when all this was happening? He was chief secretary. And he left a liability of over $700 million for the THA to pay.”

He said Dennis was only speaking now to get political points and had no moral authority to say anything concerning Tobago.

Richards added that Dennis should tell the Prime Minister to give the THA $500 million for development work so it would not have to do design-build-finance projects.

Calls and messages to Secretary for Settlements, Public Utilities and Rural Development Ian Pollard; Infrastructure, Quarries and Urban Development Secretary Trevor James and Chief Secretary Farley Augustine went unanswered up to press time on November 15.