China Harbour Engineering is the preferred bidder for SPARK project

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has revealed that China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC), is the selected contractor for the Government’s ambitious $45 billion Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) project.

Under the project, which is slated to get underway this month and last two years, more than 600 roads have been selected for rehabilitation in all 63 constituencies islandwide. SPARK also includes a $5 billion component for water infrastructure, namely the laying of pipes.

Holness told the contract signing ceremony at Jamaica House Thursday morning that “approximately 630 roads have been recommended as a priority, covering all constituencies. These priority roads have been subject to inspection and rapid assessment by the National Works Agency to determine the preliminary cost to rehabilitate in keeping with the project strategy," he said.

“Design works are now ongoing to the final list of roads being determined from the priority list, based on the budget per constituency,” he added.

The prime minister outlined that through the International Competitive Bidding Process, eight construction companies responded to the request for pre-qualification. There were two local and six international companies.

“Only five companies, however, were successful at the end of this phase of the process,” Holness said. He also shared that the request for bid-proposal was sent to the five pre-qualified construction companies.

“Four of the five contractors submitted bid-proposals for the four works packages at the end of August 2024. Two of those four did not make it past this stage and it was then down to two companies,” he said.

“After the evaluation, and consistent with the Public Procurement Act and Regulations, we entered into negotiations with the highest-ranking bidder, China Harbour Engineering Company,” the prime minister said.

Package one includes Kingston and St Andrew; Package , 2 - St Catherine and Clarendon; Package 3 -Manchester, St Elizabeth, Westmoreland and Hanover; and Package 4 -St James, Trelawny, St Ann and St Mary.

Package one will be undertaken at cost of $9.2 billion; package two is estimated to cost $9.9 billion; Package three is costed at $7.55 billion; and Package 4 is estimated at $9.4 billion.