APPENDIX 2
CONTINGENT LIABILITIES IN THE DEPENDENT
TERRITORIES (PAC 1997-98/119)
Memorandum by the Department for International
Development
Note on Question 27: Completion of Capital Aid Projects
1. The question relates to paragraph 2.14
of the NAO Report, which states that ten of the twenty projects
requiring completion reports were completed between two months
and three years late and four did not show completion dates.
2. Of the ten projects which overran, four
had delays of six months or less. With regard to the six projects
which were shown as having significant delays, the background
is as follows:
| | | |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | Estimated
| Actual |
| Completion Date |
Completion Date |
| | |
| | |
| 2.1 | | |
| | | |
| Fisheries Development: | March 1993
| March 1995 |
| Purchase of Vessel and | |
|
| Equipment | |
|
| | |
The project involved the purchase of a fishing
vessel and gear in the UK and installation of an ice plant in
the TCI together with vessel running costs for one year. The vessel
and gear were procured by the Crown Agents and delivered on time
(sea trials February 1989). The ice plant was due to be delivered
in October 1989, but there was a delay with the supplier and a
problem during installation which meant that plant did not become
operational until March 1990. This project was later subsumed
into the TCI fisheries development programme and additional funding
was provided to meet running costs for a further three years together
with some supplementary items of equipment. In effect the delay
was much less than might be inferred from the project completion
report.
| | | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| 2.2 | | |
| | | |
| Resurfacing Secondary | August 1990
| June 1992 |
| Roads | |
|
| | |
This project was approved in August 1989 and
ran on schedule until the spring of 1990 when the Public Works
Department shifted their limited road building plant to higher
priority construction of new roads. Work resumed twelve months
later and the project went slowly due to a number of mechanical
breakdowns with key items of equipment. As a result of these delays
the project costs were 7% above target.
| | | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| 2.3 | | |
| | | |
| Fisheries Resource | December 1993
| March 1995 |
| Management | |
|
| | |
This project was approved for biological research
into the lobster and conch resources of the TCI. Lobster and conch
are the main export from the islands, and stock conservation is
therefore a key issue. The main project input was a British fisheries
biologist.
The project started approximately ten months
late because the British researcher was not available until he
had completed his research programme at Imperial College London.
The particular research skills and experience required meant that
there was only a limited field of possible candidates, and it
was decided to wait for the preferred one.
| | | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| 2.4 | | |
| | | |
| Water Extraction | October 1990
| July 1992 |
| Treatment and Storage | |
|
| | |
The project provided a 100,000 gallon water
plant on the main tourist island of Providenciales. Approved in
January 1990, work did not start until June 1991 due to problems
with land acquisition (funded by the TCI Government). Due to this
delay some engineering re-design was the then required to avoid
cost escalation. The project was completed within the original
budget.
| | | |
| Anguilla | Estimated
| Actual |
| Completion Date |
Completion Date |
| | |
| | |
| 2.5 | | |
| | | |
| Princess Alexandra | December 1988
| June 1993 |
| Hospital | |
|
| | |
Construction of this new hospital was originally
planned to commence in February 1987 for a December 1988 completion
date. An experienced firm of hospital architects were appointed
by ODA, after competitive tender, to design the building and supervise
construction. The British Development Division in the Caribbean
also recommended to the Anguilla Government that they should appoint
an experienced Clerk of Works to deal with day-to-day management
issues on site. Due to the relatively small size of the contract,
which would have made it uneconomic for a British contractor to
mobilise on Anguilla, the project went out to local tender and
work began in January 1988, some eleven months behind schedule.
The contractor seemingly incorrectly priced elements of his bid
and he ran into cashflow problems with regard to the purchase
of materials and also, possibly, with regard to his ability to
pay competitive rates for skilled labour from the limited pool
available on the island. The contractor's difficulties were compounded
by problems with the excavation of hard rock on site and delays
in the delivery of some building materials from the UK and provision
of the electricity supply and telephones by the utility companies.
| | | |
| British Virgin Islands | Estimated
| Actual |
| Completion Date |
Completion Date |
| | |
| | |
| 2.6 | | |
| | | |
| All Weather Road Link | December 1990
| February 1992 |
| | |
The project involved the construction of 2.5
kilometres of concrete all- weather road to complete the road
link on the island of Tortola. We have been unable to locate earlier
papers on this project but it would appear that at least part
of the problem with this project was due to the difficult and
steep terrain when heavy rain caused major landslips.
3. With regard to the four projects apparently
lacking completion dates, we can report that all of these projects
were completed as shown below:
| | | |
| Turks & Caicos Islands | Estimated
| Actual |
| Completion Date |
Completion Date |
| | | |
| Government Offices | Not known-
| December 1992 |
| Renovation | early records |
|
| destroyed |
|
| Classroom Construction | December 1994
| October 1994 |
| Mechanical Workshop | Not known-
| January 1991 |
| Reconstitution | early records
| |
| destroyed |
|
| | |
| | | |
| Anguilla | |
|
| | | |
| Primary School | March 1995
| March 1995 |
| Rehabilitation | |
|
| | |
Department for International Development
January 1998
| 
