Pickersgill

Minister of Housing, Water, Transport and Works, Robert Pickersgill, has said that the Government has fulfilled its contractual obligations to Bouygues Travaux Publics, in awarding the contract to the company to construct the new phase of Highway 2000, from Spanish Town to Ocho Rios.

In a letter to the editor, Mr. Pickersgill challenged an article, headlined 'Highway probe', which appeared in The Gleaner on Wednesday, arguing that the story was erroneous.

Investigation into phases

The story mentioned that the Office of the Contractor General was conducting an investigation into all phases of the Highway 2000 project.

The probe stemmed from concerns raised by Dr. Martin Aub and his wife Beth, about a particular clause in the Concession Agreement and its legality.

However, Mr. Pickersgill stated that the entire project, including phases 1 and 2 were put to tender and some 67 companies worldwide responded to the publications, including several local firms. Three companies met the pre-qualification requirements, he added.

According to Mr. Pickersgill, the bid from Bouygues Travaux Publics was selected after a very open, transparent and fair process.