DEPARTMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE STAFF MEMBERS TO UNDERGO CONTRACT MANAGEMENT TRAINING IN BARBADOS.

Considered Saint Lucia’s premiere disaster risk reduction project, the Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project, DVRP, is funded by the World Bank to the tune of 79.4 million United States Dollars. The DVRP boasts some 85 projects, spread across 15 implementing agencies. Projects range from construction and rehabilitation of schools, health facilities, and road infrastructure, to wastewater and watershed management strategies, and the strengthening of Saint Lucia’s hydromet system to ensure more accurate and timely weather forecasts and flood alerts.

Given the magnitude of the DVRP, a significant amount of attention must be paid to managing contracts. In that vein, Naomi Cherry and Shian Edwin, staff of the Department of Infrastructure, Ports, Energy, and Labour, who are integrally involved in DVRP initiatives, have been selected to benefit from training intended to enhance their contract management skills.

The capacity building training, organized through the new Canada Caribbean Resilience Facility (CRF), will be held at the University of West Indies in Bridgetown, Barbados May 30 – 31, 2019. Using case studies for the most part, topics for discussion during the 2-day workshop, include: The Basic Elements of the Development and Execution of A Civil Works Contract; Contracts Management-Theory to Practice; Consultancy Services Contracts and Contracts Management; and Price Adjustment Under Contract Execution.

“Best practice in contract management,” Cherry says “ensures that parties to the contract meet their respective obligations by delivering the outputs required from the contract and provides value for money.” She further explained that a badly worded contract, can cause clients to lose huge sums of money over a simple technicality they failed to identify from the outset. Effective contract management, particularly for a massive project like the DVRP, is therefore essential to avoid litigation, minimize cost overruns, and ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget, she noted.  

It is anticipated that upon their return, Chery and Edwin will play a more active role in managing contracts under the Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project, including major road drainage works scheduled for completion this year in Marchand, Dennery South, Micoud, and Castries South East, particularly Bexon and Marc.