Professional organizations told to play bigger role in development

Caption:  Don Polye

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, March 15, 2015 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

LEADER of the Opposition Don Polye has called on professional organizations like the Institute of Engineers PNG (IEPNG), and PNG Institute of Architects (PNGIA) to play more of a role in current development project taking place in the country.

Mr Polye, an Engineer by profession, raised his concerns during a conference that State contracts awarded by the Central Supplies Tenders Board should be checked and verifed by reputable organizations when awarded to public companies.

“One of the institutions (IEPNG) responsible under the law to check and verify the scope of work and the costing attached to it, the work that is ongoing, should be verified by independent engineers.”

“If the Department of Works and other state agencies are carrying out their functions well, health, and education- the institute of Engineers PNG should verify those works.”

“I would like to call on the Institute of Engineers to do some work because what is happening is that there are engineers out there who are doing jobs at exorbitant costs to the nation,” Polye claimed.

He said that engineers should also take note that they have a duty to make sure that the work is of high quality but done to the right market price.

“At the moment my observations is that these work are not being done to market price, but have got 200 to 300 percent inflated cost and so called profits made by these companies are made beyond business,” he said.

“IEPNG should initiate investigation into the scope of works and designs the monies paid and they should take appropriate action through the act they are under as a duty to the nation as engineers and professionals.”

He said that the average classroom of a normal design of about 150 to 160 square meters should cost in the most rural parts of PNG, K300,000.

“When you build a classroom in some place like Kandep taking into consideration the cost of transportation and the materials that you will bring in, the lack of supplies of other materials the cost should be up by another 50 to 60 percent- so the market price of approximately K300,000should be the right amount paid for such a classroom,” Mr Polye said.

“But you will find that there are classrooms built in this country throughout Papua New Guinea within the urban and rural cost beyond K500,000 per classroom to even K600,000 to K700,000 per classroom.”

“As far as the buildings are concerned the architects go in check and verify the work that goes on there because it is costing the state a lot of money for a classroom that is built at K500,000 the State can build two of them.”