By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

THE independent report commissioned into the Urban Renewal Small Home Repairs programme called for the government to immediately establish a litany of controls to increase oversight of the project’s operational management and payment system.

The report pointed to a lack of a standardised system for classifying homes by necessary repairs, which it said would provide a better method for assigning a budget for contracted works.

It noted that while parliamentarians could identify homes in their constituency for repairs, they should not be allowed to handpick contractors. “It was determined that the scopes were not all inclusive for the amount of repair works that were required to restore the homes to full functionality,” it read.

“This can be directly attributed to the amount of monies allocated for each home repair. In many cases, additional works needed to be done to homes for full restoration.”

The report continued: “Additionally, many of the homeowners were not privy to the initial scope of works; therefore they had no idea of what they were to receive upon completion of the contractors’ work.”

Recommendations outlined in the report called for the Urban Renewal Commission to create an approved contractor’s listing, with only approved persons to be awarded contracts for repairs. It advised that the project’s quantity surveyor should prepare an estimate of works with an interim budget before contractors are allowed to submit their costings for approval.

“All progress inspections should be verified and certified by Urban Renewal inspectors before payment is made. All final inspections should be verified and certified by the relevant authority from Urban Renewal and officially sign off before certificate of completion and final payment is made.”

It added: “A proper payment certificate regiment should be put in place. Continuous inspections should be ongoing regardless of request for payment.”

The new report noted that several homes did not have a completed scope of works on file, and in these instances, estimates from the contractor were used to conduct the assessments.

The independent report read: “All condemned houses should be forwarded by Urban Renewal Commission to the Ministry of Housing for rebuilding. The Urban Renewal Commission should not be in the business of rebuilding homes.”

It furthered that an independent firm be hired to ensure the independence of the process and programme, adding that the firm should have the necessary professional indemnity insurance to cover the scope of works.

Finally, the report suggested that the Commission find out how it can provide blanket insurance for all works under contract for specific periods.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works Philip “Brave” Davis tabled the technical evaluation report commissioned on phase one of the programme’s Small Home Repairs component - a copy of which was obtained by the Tribune - in Parliament yesterday.

He said that he was moved to order the report after the “troubling” findings of Auditor General Terrence Bastian’s report cast doubt over the project’s achievement of value for money.

The ministry’s report concluded that the project was a “work in progress” with approximately 90 per cent of the initial scope of repair works completed, adding that phase one of the project operated “above average given the intended purpose and its initial programme methodology”.

The report was conducted by technical firms Island Dimensions & Development Co Ltd and J D Chisholm & Associates, and had a sample size of 80 homes or 25 per cent of the 312 homes repaired during the project’s initial phase.

It explained that the programme would improve tremendously if recommendations outlined in the report were implemented, such as the strict enforcement of proper construction supervision during repair works.

However, Mr Davis said the recommendations presented in the technical report would be considered and implemented if they did not impede the work of the Urban Renewal Commission.

“The Small Home Repairs Project will continue over the next fiscal year with priority given to repairing the homes of the elderly, mentally and physically challenged, and single parents,” he said in his address to Parliament yesterday.

“As per the government’s policy, contractors and tradesmen, as far as practicable, will be drawn from the respective urban communities in which houses are to be repaired.”