New contractor appointed for Westville upgrade
A new contractor has finally been appointed to finish the Westville upgrade, but construction could possibly only start in another month's time as new regulations come into place.
WESTVILLE residents can breathe easy again, knowing that another construction company has been awarded the tender to undertake work in Westville.
DA PR councillor for Westville, Warren Burne, who has been keeping regular contact with the municipality’s project manager, said on 2 December eThekwini’s Executive Committee resolved to apply Regulation 36 of the Municipal Supply Chain Management Regulations to appoint a contractor for completion of the remainder of the works for the Westville Upgrade Project in Westville Road and in Church Road.
The municipality’s bid adjudication committee approved the recommendation to appoint the second most responsive tenderer under the original tender submissions.
Burne said the municipality is now awaiting a letter of award, and said once the municipality has it, it can engage with the contractor who will then need to submit its insurance details and surety for approval.
He said the project manager confirmed there would be a delay before construction starts again, as the approval of the health and safety plan regulations have changed and are now applicable. He said it could take as long as 30 days before it is approved, and until then no construction may start. Burne added he would soon be furnished with a programme for the completion of the project.
“Hopefully these remaining administrative processes will be attended to without any delay, and the actual work can commence and be completed in a matter of weeks and not months. It is a sad indictment of the municipality’s administration that it has taken more than one year to cancel the contract of an errant contractor, and to put in place another contractor to complete the work,” he said.
