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NDC to establish award scheme for
contractors - Mills
Accra, Aug. 4, Ghanadot/GNA – Professor John Evans Atta
Mills, flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC),
on Monday assured road and building contractors that his
government would establish a befitting national awards
scheme for them if voted into power.
He noted that, even though the entire economy largely
depended on the construction industry to move forward, it
was sad that there was no national award scheme for players
in the industry.
“I wonder how many road and building contractors were given
awards during the recent wholesale national awards but I
assure you that Atta Mills will put a separate award scheme
in place for you when I become President,” he said.
Prof. Atta Mills gave the promise when he took his turn at a
forum for flag bearers of political parties jointly
organised by the Association of Road Contractors (ASROC)
Ghana, and the Association of Building and Civil Engineering
Contractor of Ghana (ABECEG).
The forum which was under the theme: “The Construction
Industry and Election 2008,” was designed to enable flag
bearers to relate their vision for the construction industry
to industry players.
Prof. Atta Mills noted that, much as he believed the
contractors needed to be motivated, he also believed that
recalcitrant contractors should be sanctioned, saying that,
the NDC would also establish a sanctioning scheme for that
purpose.
He outlined some of the challenges facing the construction
industry as delays in the payment for executed for the
government, lack of proper classification for contractors,
lack of technical assistance and the influx of foreign
contractors, especially in the case of donor-funded
contracts.
On the issue of delays in payment, Prof. Mills said he was
aware that it impacted negatively on the credibility of
local contractors with their creditors, adding that an NDC
government would not only ensure prompt payment but also pay
interest on payment delayed.
Prof. Mills noted that one of the causes of delays was the
several signatories needed to allow payment for contracts,
saying that, the financial administration law required only
one signature, that of the head of the contract awarding
institution.
“NDC will ensure strict implementation of the financial
administration law in that respect to allow for prompt
payment for contracts,” he said.
Prof. Atta Mills also noted that several contracts went
unpaid because they were awarded as a matter of political
consideration, but were not covered in the annual budget,
saying that under the NDC only contracts covered in the
budget would be awarded.
He also noted that it was not fair for foreign contractors
to take charge of 100 per cent of donor funded contracts,
saying that, under his government, “we will ensure that it
will be agreed that all foreign contractors partner with
local contractors on 60/40 per cent basis for contract
execution”.
Prof. Atta Mills said that kind of arrangement would ensure
transfer of technology to local contractors and thus empower
them technically to deliver on bigger contracts in the
future.
“My government will also ensure that foreign contractors
join the local associations just like every professional
body everywhere in the world.
“You can’t operate as a lawyer in any country without
recourse to the bar association of the country; this should
apply to engineers and contractors as well,” he said.
He assured the contractors that the NDC would not abrogate
contracts awarded by the previous government just as a
matter of change of government but would continue to fund
properly awarded contracts to qualified contractors.
“We will establish a clearly laid out classification system
with the help of local industry players to ensure that
contractors awarded government contracts had the capacity
and expertise to deliver,” he said.
with a boom in the
construction industry, saying that an NDC government would
concentrate on empowering the local industry technically and
financially to take advantage of a benefit from the expected
boom.
GNA
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