In addition to the 2,000 new construction jobs that are expected to be created, Bahamian contractors want their services to be maximized during the building phase.<\/P><\/p>\n
But some of them are concerned that they may be overlooked as the project moves into full swing.<\/P><\/p>\n
Chairman of the Bahamas Contractors Association (BCA) Robert Myers told the Bahama Journal Tuesday that he hopes the bidding process is fair.<\/P><\/p>\n
\uff93A lot of these guys have submitted bids for these [types of) jobs, but have been told about concerns [regarding] their performance, their numbers may have been a little too high or some other thing or another,\uff94 he said.<\/P><\/p>\n
\uffa0\uff93So if the effort is there, this could be considerable for the construction industry and likewise other businesses. But, if not, this goes back to the phrase I always use that it is great employment for maids and masons, but fails to do much for professionals.\uff94<\/P><\/p>\n
Prime Minister Christie on Monday assured that the government is committed to ensuring that Bahamian contractors get substantial contracts for the largest tourism project ever carried out in the region.<\/P><\/p>\n
During the signing of the expanded Heads of Agreement with Kerzner International, Mr. Christie said, \uff93I am very pleased to advise that Kerzner International has undertaken to maximize the use of Bahamian contractors and construction workers.\uff94<\/P><\/p>\n
He also said, \uff93My government, in collaboration with Kerzner International, will endeavour to ensure that as many qualified Bahamians contractors as possible are given the opportunity to play an important role in the building of the new facilities comprised in the Phase III expansion.\uff94<\/P><\/p>\n
According to company officials, Kerzner International\uffb4s amended plans for its Phase III expansion of Atlantis will feature an impressive mix of accommodations, facilities and attractions that will further catapult The Bahamas as a prime destination.<\/P><\/p>\n
Construction is expected to begin within the next two weeks on the next phase of Atlantis\uffb4 timeshare project, Harborside Resort.<\/P><\/p>\n
Local construction firm Osprey Developers Co. Ltd. recently won that bid. Other companies that submitted bids for the project were Cavalier Construction Co. Ltd.; Sunco; Mosko\uffb4s United Construction Co.; and Carl G. Treco.<\/P><\/p>\n
On Tuesday, several other contractors expressed cautious optimism regarding the billion-dollar project.<\/P><\/p>\n
\uff93Obviously, we would like to work over there, but they\uffb4ve been there for eight years and they haven\uffb4t used us yet,\uff94 said Richard Wilson, Managing Director of Cavalier Construction Co. Ltd.<\/P><\/p>\n
\uffa0\uff93And we are probably one of – if not the largest and best managed company in The Bahamas\uff85But I\uffb4m always hopeful.\uff94<\/P><\/p>\n
According to Mr. Wilson, Cavalier has submitted bids for at least three of Kerzner\uffb4s developments over the years.<\/P><\/p>\n
\uff93I am very confident that we submitted a very competitive bid, but it remains to be seen what will happen in the future,\uff94 he said. \uff93I am not burning my bridges. If they ask me to give them a price, I will. But I am discouraged by what has happened in the past. So, we\uffb4ll see what happens.\uff94<\/P><\/p>\n
Val Wilkinson, office manager of Wilkinson Construction Ltd, also expressed hopes regarding the project.<\/P><\/p>\n
\uff93We\uffb4ve submitted a bid to Kerzner already, but we haven\uffb4t heard anything,\uff94 she said. \uff93But working on one of their projects would be beneficial to the whole community. So, we\uffb4re hoping to get at least one of the buildings.\uff94<\/P><\/p>\n
Rochelle Kelly, administrator at Bro-Kell Construction Ltd., added, \uff93Right now, I\uffb4m just happy. We really need something right now, but it\uffb4s a matter of what amount of Kerzner\uffb4s development will be given to small contractors because they normally only award the big ones.\uff94<\/P><\/p>\n
For President of Watson\uffb4s Construction Company Ltd, Brandon Watson, with the construction company still grappling to bounce back, anything is a plus.<\/P><\/p>\n
\uff93I feel good about this because if it\uffb4s not us, it would be someone else,\uff94 he said. \uff93Whatever comes up and whoever gets it, assists local contractors on a whole as well as the Bahamian economy.\uff94<\/P><\/p>\n
Macushla N. Pinder, The Bahama Journal<\/B><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Local contractors are generally hopeful that they will benefit significantly from the $1 billion Atlantis Phase III development announced by Prime Minister Perry Christie Monday night.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_10223285771444175_51037792744":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-245329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-headlines"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=245329"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245329\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=245329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=245329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=245329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}