Junior Minister in the Ministry of Works Stacy Roopnarine has broken her silence on the allegations of interference she levelled at her boss, Works and Infrastructure Minister Dr Surujrattan Rambachan in the allocation of contracts for the Curepe Interchange project. Speaking for the first time since a private letter written to the Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar via email was leaked to the media, Roopnarine yesterday admitted that she was wrong in her accusations.
“Since my e-mail to the Honourable Prime Minister may have been intercepted and leaked to the media there has been a barrage of questions surrounding the issue,” Roopnarine said. She said she hoped to make one definitive statement and end the issue once and for all.
“Subsequent to the writing of that e-mail, I have had the benefit of being advised on the legal parameters within which the award considerations can be made and what evaluations were being conducted on the particular project. At the time, I felt my own concerns were best addressed directly to the Prime Minister since I wanted an independent opinion on the matter,” Roopnarine said.
She said having had the “benefit” of that legal advice, she is now better informed of the process under which the National Infrastructure Development Company awards its contracts and conducts its negotiations. “I am satisfied that there was no compromise on the manner in which this was achieved. I maintain my independence of opinion and right to raise any matter of concern to me as a minister with the leader of the Government,” Roopnarine said.
Roopnarine also praised Rambachan for understanding why she went over his head and directly to the Prime Minister with her concerns. “My Cabinet colleague understands that my first duty is to the Government and people of Trinidad and Tobago and not an individual, as we are rightly held to a higher standard than ever before. It is to his credit that we continue to share a deep and abiding respect for process beyond any other consideration,” she said.
She also lauded the Prime Minister for the manner in which she handled the sticky internal situation. She said she was within her rights to forward her concerns directly to the PM. “I felt duty-bound therefore to raise the concerns I had at the time. As expected, the Prime Minister received my correspondence in good faith and gave due consideration to the matters raised.
“The Prime Minister has led the Cabinet with a firm insistence on integrity and the need to inform her of any uncertainties we might ever have in the course of our duties,” she said. Despite the reports of the internal wrangling between her and Rambachan over this issue, both parties have said there was no existing bad blood between them. Roopnarine said she remains a “proud member” of the Government.
“I am also grateful for her encouragement to continue being so fiercely independent of mind and watchful over the process, and to have afforded the matter such fair and objective consideration,” Roopnarine said.
Charles: No one in Govt contacted me about board interference
President of the National Infrastructure Development Company (Nidco) Dr Carson Charles says he was never approached by any Government officer on the issue of interference by the State in board decisions. Charles’ comments comes after Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said that she had made enquiries into allegations of State and ministerial interference into board decisions at Nidco, and was satisfied that the allegations were baseless.
The issues were first raised in a letter penned by junior minister Stacy Roopnarine who accused her boss, Works and Infrastructure Minister Dr Surujrattan Rambachan of interfering with the board decision of contract awards. Roopnarine spoke specifically on the board decision to engage the second ranked bidder over the first for the Curepe Interchange project, and claimed that she was approached by concerned board members who spoke of ministerial guidance on the award process.
But despite the Prime Minister’s assurances that her own checks were done to her satisfaction, Charles is saying that neither the Prime Minister nor any government member approached him on that issue. Charles said Nidco was not getting involved in the tussle between the senior and junior minister. He said he also could not comment on the Prime Minister’s findings or the path her investigation may have taken.
When asked whether any minister or government official requested any information into the allegations of State interference on this issue, Charles said “no.” “We have provided information at various times and on various issues, but on this matter of interference; no. There were no questions by anyone on the issue of State interference,” he said. Charles said he was asked about the status of the contract and the stage of procurement, but nothing about State interference.
“But the Government is at liberty to ask questions and make their own inference and conclusions,” Charles said. With regards to the multi-million dollar Curepe Interchange project, the Sunday Guardian has since learned that Princes Town-based contractor, Lutchmeesingh Transport Contractors Ltd (LTC) is next in line and talks have already begun.
The project, which has not yet been formally awarded, hit a snag earlier this year when talks between Nidco and first-ranked bidder, Vinci Construction fell apart over the intended budget for the project. Though Vinci Construction placed first in the technical aspects of the tender appraisal process, they pegged the project at $522 million. After negotiations with Nidco for a reduced cost, Vinci’s estimated cost for completion was over $402 million and excluded Value Added Tax and other provisional figures.
Vinci and Nidco continue to butt heads over the stalled contract award process which was exacerbated when Nidco began similar negotiations with LTC as the second-ranked bidder for the project.
While Vinci Construction challenged Nidco’s right to engage the second-round bidder for the project, the Sunday Guardian obtained legal correspondence by both JD Sellier and Co, and Mair and Company, which clears the legal way for negotiations to begin with LTC, leaving the international construction giant out in the cold. On July 3, Vinci “challenged Nidco’s right to renegotiate the price” in light of a tender process where it was placed as the first-ranked bidder.
Later that month, Vinci once again renegotiation its tender price downward to $340 million but again excluded VAT and provisional sums. Mair and Company found that Vinci was incorrect in its assessment that Nidco should not attempt to renegotiate the price. In another legal letter, dated September 15, 2014, attorney MA Ferdinand, attached to JD Sellier and Co, advised that Nidco had the “authority and freedom to have further discussions and negotiations even after the bids were evaluated and ranked.”
“An evaluation of a financial proposal is not an agreement on the part of Nidco to accept the cost put forward by that tenderer,” the law firm noted. “From our instructions, it appears that the parties have been unable to satisfactorily conclude negotiations with Vinci...negotiations can be initiated with the second highest bidder,” Ferdinand noted in the letter.
The Curepe Interchange has been in the spotlight since a letter of complaint sent by Junior Works Minister Stacy Roopnarine to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar via email went public last week. In that letter, Roopnarine accused her boss, Works and Transport Minister Suruj Rambachan of interfering in board-level decisions with regards to the award of this contract.
