Engineers Bill geared at enhancing accountability to be tabled in National Assembly

As part of the government’s drive to ensure engineers executing public works are held accountable, the Engineers Bill will soon be tabled in the National Assembly.

Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, made the disclosure during a workshop at the Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown, on Thursday.

“Very soon, I’ll be tabling in the National Assembly, the Engineers Bill. And that will bring a new level of accountability for engineers. And part of that bill will deal with how we licence and remove from being licensed engineers who compromise us,” Minister Edghill said.

The proposed piece of legislation aims to regulate and professionalise the engineering field by setting clear standards and guidelines.

Proper implementation would ensure high-quality practices, leading to safer and more reliable infrastructural projects.  

As large-scale projects ramp up across Guyana, the government is keen on prioritising efficient and on-budget execution.

Minister Edghill emphasised strict accountability, emphasising that there would be no tolerance for contractors or engineers who fail to fulfil their obligations.

“None of us must be found in a place where we are making excuses for contractors. Let the contractors make their own excuses. We are enforcing what the government wants,” he underscored.

“None of us want to hear a bridge that we supervised fell. None of us want to hear a building that we signed off on collapsed. And I’m sure none of us want to see a road that we signed off on disappear,” the public works minister continued.

In a concerted effort to tackle defaulting contractors, the government has embarked on a comprehensive strategy to strengthen contract management and evaluation.

Earlier this year, President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali met with several project managers and engineers to hash out the strategy to strengthen contract management and evaluation.

During that meeting, the president said any projects exceeding their contracted timelines would face strict consequences, and announced the establishment of an independent team to oversee these projects.

Added to this, the Ministry of Legal Affairs established a dedicated Contract Compliance Unit to facilitate effective contract implementation.