Today and tomorrow, Public Works Minister Riad Nurmohamed will be in Guyana for the second High-Level Decision Makers (HLDM) Meeting. The feasibility studies and specific designs for the construction of a bridge across the Corantijn River were the focus of a consulting agreement that WSP Caribbean was given in May 2022.
A significant activity of the Consultancy, the HLDM Meeting will feature presentations by leading specialists from WSP Caribbean, as well as questions from the representatives from Guyana and Suriname. The initial HLDM gathering took place in Suriname on February 27 and 28, 2023.
In the neighboring country, Nurmohamed will meet with his ministerial counterpart Juan Edghill to discuss matters related to the construction of the Corantijn River Bridge for which the tender document has been issued on May 9, 2023 to the five (5) prequalified contractors and will close on August 1 2023.
The bridge over the Corantijn River is being built through a public-private partnership (PPP) and according to the Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Maintain model (DBFOM). This means that the successful contractor of the joint venture will be responsible for the final design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance.
Among the five pre-qualified contractors/joint ventures, four are Chinese companies; China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC), China Railway Construction International Ltd (CRCCI) consortium, China Railway Construction Caribbean Co Ltd (CRCCCL) and China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group Co Ltd (CRBG) , the consortium China Overseas Engineering Group Co Ltd (COVEC), China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co Ltd (CREEC) and China Railway First Group (CRRG). The fifth contractor is Ballast Nedam Infra Suriname B.V.
The China Harbor Engineering Company has previously worked on the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. Under the agreement reached between Guyana and Suriname at the first HLDM meeting in Suriname, offers will be evaluated, negotiated and a contract will be awarded by October 2023.
