00:00The Housing Development Corporation has officially canceled procurement proceedings for a housing project valued at approximately $3.4 billion.
00:09In a notice issued on Wednesday, the HDC advised participating proponents that the process had been terminated with immediate effect
00:17under Section 33 of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act.
00:23According to the HDC, quote, the HDC has determined that it is in the public interest and in accordance with
00:30the Act to discontinue the procurement proceedings for this project.
00:34The standstill period prescribed under Section 35 has elapsed and no contract has been entered into with any supplier or
00:42contractor.
00:43Consequently, no notice of acceptance shall be issued under Section 35-6 and no procurement contract shall arise from these
00:51proceedings, end quote.
00:52The corporation also stated that the reasons for the cancellation had been formally recorded in accordance with the legislation.
00:59But the cancellation has triggered criticism from former Housing Minister Camille Robinson-Rigis.
01:05In a statement, Robinson-Rigis said the decision confirms what she suspected, saying, quote,
01:11This confirms long-standing concerns about the integrity, management and direction of this tendering process, end quote.
01:18She described the cancellation as both necessary and revealing, saying, quote,
01:23It is unfortunate that this situation has escalated to this point, highlighting governance and oversight failures that should never have
01:31occurred, end quote.
01:32The former minister also questioned the current leadership of the housing sector.
01:36Since assuming office, the Ministry of Housing and the HDC have faced repeated leadership mistakes and administrative confusion,
01:44leaving the sector without clear guidance or accountability like a ship without a captain, end quote.
01:51All in all, Robinson-Rigis welcomed the cancellation but said it is, quote,
01:55Unacceptable that public resources and stakeholder time were wasted on a procurement process that should never have advanced in its
02:03current form, end quote.
02:04She issues these calls, adding, quote,
02:07This calls for the serious scrutiny of governance and oversight responsibilities,
02:12including a review of the roles of the chairman, the ministers overseeing the corporation and the procurement officer, end quote.
02:20Housing Minister in the Ministry of Housing, Philip Alexander, is seeking to reassure the public
02:25that government's housing program remains on track despite the cancellation of procurement proceedings for the multi-billion dollar HDC project.
02:34Responding to concerns raised following the announcement, Alexander said the pause in the procurement exercise
02:40does not mean the housing initiative has been abandoned.
02:44He assures that the first rollout of 3,700 houses that was paused by this release is not cancelled.
02:52Alexander said the government remains committed to expanding home ownership opportunities
02:57and indicated that financing arrangements are already in place to support construction.
03:02The minister also rejected suggestions that the housing program would favor politically connected contractors,
03:09insisting that the process will remain open to qualified developers, saying, quote,
03:13All other developers who qualify and have the capacity to deliver within set timeframes and budgets are welcome to tender,
03:21end quote.
03:22Alexander maintained, quote,
03:23The Prime Minister's promised deliverables remains are intentioned to place as many families in their own homes within this term
03:31remains
03:32and that will not be deterred.
03:34He added that future procurement exercises will be conducted with a high level of transparency and public scrutiny, saying, quote,
03:41We will continue to ensure that all processes are above board and transparent beyond even the requirements of any oversight
03:49bodies, end quote.
03:50The minister said additional details, including requests for proposals and invitations to tender,
03:56will be made public in the coming weeks.
03:59The AHDC has not publicly disclosed the specific reasons behind the cancellation.
04:04However, with a project of this scale now halted,
04:07questions are likely to continue over what led to the decision
04:11and whether further reviews or investigations will follow.
04:15Arushita Maury, Rupinarine, TV6 News.
04:20Arushita Maury, Rupinarine, TV6 News.
04:21You
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