Govt to blacklist REA underperforming contractors
THE government has declared to blacklist contractors who have failed to meet performance expectations and standards in the implementation of rural electrification projects in the country.
Rural Energy Agency (REA) Director General Engineer Hassan Saidy made the announcement here over the weekend, noting that the plan will go in line with blacklisting the contractors, who have not accomplished the work on rural electrification project phase II as required.
“The information goes to all the contractors in Mtwara and the rest countrywide…as from now the government will not offer any work to underperforming contractors,” he said, adding “For those contractors who have not yet completed the work on rural electrification phase II will automatically be disqualified.”
The DG also sounded the warning to contractors currently undertaking the work on phase III of the projects (REA phase III), noting that for those who have not completed at least 60 per cent of the phase III round one, automatically they will be barred from securing work from the agency.
Eng Saidy was speaking during a meeting convened at Mtwara region to discuss the implementation of REA projects in the region.
The meeting chaired by the Mtwara Regional Commissioner Colonel Ahmed Abbas brought together REA executives and members of Parliament in the region and contractors undertaking rural electrification projects in the region.
Opening the meeting, Col Abbas expressed dissatisfaction over the agency’s performance on the implementation of rural electrification projects.
The RC said the unpleasant performance by REA in the region tarnishes image of the government and the ruling party.
On the other hand, Eng Saidy said the REA currently implements various projects in Mtwara Region including the REA phase III second round worth 71bn/-.
He said the project (REA phase III second round) is set to connect 400 villages with electricity in the region.
He said the villages include 276 villages in Tandahimba, Newala and Mtwara rural. He mentioned the cost of Connecting the 276 villages as 422.7bn/-.
Meanwhile, in Mbeya Region the government has given two months to the M/S Electrical Transmission and Distribution Construction and Maintenance Company (ETDCO) Limited to assess itself if it can complete the project of rural electricity transmission lines in the region during the third phase of the second round (REA 111 Round 11), after failing to complete the project in 139 villages worth 36.8bn/- within the scheduled time.
Mbeya Regional Commissioner Juma Homera said this over the weekend in Mbeya Region during a meeting to receive information on the progress of the rural electricity supply project (REA) as well as the implementation of the project.
Mr Homera said the mission of the Government is to ensure that all 139 villages get electricity service, but the contractor has not been seen at the construction sites while there are villages that have not been reached at all, a situation that has caused the people of those villages to lose hope of getting electricity service.
He said he was tired of the contractor because the complaints in the villages were too many.
In another development, he congratulated Energy Minister January Makamba for reaching the decision to give the contractor two months to evaluate himself.
The director of technical services from the REA, Mr Jones Oloto, said ETDCO is a subsidiary of TANESCO, it was given the responsibility of supplying electricity to 139 villages that have not been reached by electricity infrastructures and that the project started implementation in August 2021 and was expected to be completed in February 2023.
On his part, the manager of the ITDCO, Engineer Mustapha Himba, acknowledged the presence of shortcomings in the implementation of the project and that until now the implementation of the project has reached 43 per cent while apologising and promising to complete the project within the scheduled time.
