Another Rowley lie - SIS not sole contractor on Beetham water project

Keith Rowley told another lie on Monday.

He stated that Super Industrial Services (SIS) has been awarded a billion-dollar contract for the Beetham Wastewater Treatment Plant by State-owned National Gas Company (NGC) even though that company’s bid was $400 million more than the other bidder on the project, Atlatec. (Trinidad Express)

He is trying to give credibility to his lie by involving the President. "If the President is to be true to his commitment to the people of Trinidad and Tobago, he must ask the Government for an explanation about this development. I am calling on the Government to stop the award of this contract," Rowley told reporters Monday at a news conference at his office.

Here are the facts about that matter: The project will provide 11 million gallons of water per day for industry and free up the surplus water daily for consumers. That is a very worthwhile investment and will help people get greater access to water on a 24/7 basis. The plant will process waste water that is normally dumped and is of no value.
 
National Gas, one of the partners in the project, handled the contracts and has stated emphatically that the contract was awarded to a consortium that including SIS. So it is a lie to say that SIS got the contract.

The Express newspaper quoted a top official of NCG on the matter.
Cassandra Patrovani Sylvester, vice president, Human and Corporate Relations, told the paper the contract was awarded to a consortium of companies which include Foster Wheeler, SIS and Hyflux.

Here are some other details she provided: 

1. SIS submitted the tender package on behalf of the consortium
2. The bid was approximately US$167 million (about TT$1 billion)
3. 14 companies bought tender packages and requests for extensions were accommodated
4. Criteria used for evaluation of bids were technical ability/experience and cost
5. Two companies submitted tender packages
6. One company quoted approximately US$95 million (TT$600 million) with numerous variables proposed that would have eventually escalated the costs
7. tenders submitted were evaluated by a cross-functional team of six experts from both the National Gas Company and National Energy 
8. The team made its recommendation to NGC’s Management Tenders Evaluation Committee (MTEC). The MTEC reviewed the recommendations of the cross-functional team and made their own recommendation to the NGC Board Tenders Committee
9. The Board Tenders Committee subsequently reviewed the submission and forwarded to the NGC board of directors, its recommendations for award
10. The award was made following this thorough evaluation process

Where is the corruption or favouritism? Dr Rowley has again acted sensationally, cherry picking certain details and not presenting the truth.

The government is committed to providing water for all. Dr Rowley needs to tell people facts that he can back up with verifiable data. He did not do this.

In 2010 the government began its program of improving its water supply to consumers. Here are the details:

• The Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) is now providing a 24/7 water supply to 57 per cent of the population of Trinidad and 69 per cent of the consumers in Tobago
• That is a significant increase over what the government inherited in 2010
• In 2010 only 15 per cent of the population in Trinidad had a round the clock water supply; the figure in Tobago was 35 per cent

An additional supply of 24 million gallons per day has been identified through:

• An increase in production at DESALCOTT of 10 million gallons per day
  Increased aquifer well production (underground water) of 1.1 million gallons per day  
• Increase in production of 1.5 million gallons per day at the Point Fortin Desalination Plant in order to provide water for the NABIDCO Estate for the Mitsubishi Industrial Methanol Plant 
• An additional 11 million gallons per day from waste water re-use at the Beetham Waste Water Treatment Plant 
• As of December 2013, the Ministry of the Environment and Water resources through its agency, WASA, completed 753 projects laying 564 kilometers of pipeline infrastructure at a cost of TT$691 Million 
• In the First Quarter of 2014, a total of 82 kilometers of mains are being installed in four areas at an estimated cost of TT$139 million 
• Under the National Social Development Programme (NSDP) of works, more than 200 small pipeline projects requested by the various regional corporations are in different stages of implementation 
• This would entail the installation of 91 kilometers of four inch and six inch mains at a cost of TT$118 million 

Water is life and the government of Trinidad and Tobago is making every effort to reach its target of water for all. Rowley is attempting to stop the Beetham project because he doesn't care about the development of Trinidad and Tobago. All that matters to him is to find a way to score cheap political points with his lies.

Telling lies is the highlight of his career as opposition leader. And so far the only one for which he has offered an apology is the one he told over and over that AG Anand Ramlogan made racist comments during a visit to the New York mission. Of course Mr. Ramlogan was never there and Dr. Rowley never visited the consulate when he said he did because the office was closed for a national holiday.

(Reproduced from the UNC website)