Orealla school project to be retendered after contractor fails to deliver

The Government is preparing to again put the stalled Orealla Secondary School project out to tender, as efforts continue to complete the long-awaited facility.

Education Minister Sonia Parag provided an update on the Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) project when questioned by this publication on Friday. “We’re going out to tender very soon in relation to that particular project,” Parag said. She indicated that the Government was hoping to have the process completed as quickly as possible so that construction could get underway at the earliest opportunity.

President Dr Irfaan Ali committed to constructing a secondary school at Orealla during a visit to the riverine community in 2022. By 2023, the Government had begun taking steps to advance the project.

During a visit to Orealla, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, said a site was being identified for the school and funding was to be catered for through the 2024 budget process. The project was subsequently awarded to 4S Security & Building Enterprise for $198,866,010. Construction commenced on September 2, 2024, while then Education Minister Priya Manickchand turned the sod for the new school five days later. The contractor was given six months to complete the facility.

With approximately 180 students from Orealla and neighbouring Siparuta, the school was expected to include six classrooms, four specialised laboratories and a library. However, the six-month completion period elapsed with the school unfinished. Orealla Toshao Laurence Vandenburgh subsequently disclosed that the contractor was given a further deadline of August 15, 2025, in an effort to have the facility ready for the new school year. That deadline was also missed, and the contract was terminated.

Vandenburgh had indicated that three buildings had been erected by the time the contract was terminated, with one roofed. The Government subsequently moved to procure contractors to complete the outstanding works. In December 2025, those works were tendered in four lots, attracting bids from four contractors. However, by April 2026, no replacement contractor had commenced construction.

Another procurement exercise followed, with bids opened in July. The engineer’s estimate was $207,221,200 and 16 contractors submitted bids. Parag’s disclosure on Friday comes less than two months after 16 contractors submitted bids in the latest procurement exercise in July.

She did not explain what became of those bids or why the project now needs to be tendered again. As recently as earlier this month, approximately 117 secondary-level students were being accommodated in the auditorium section of the community’s primary school.