Ude­cott chair­man Jer­lean John, mean­while, has con­firmed that Ude­cott en­tered in­to the con­tract with Bouygues for the con­struc­tion of the po­lice sta­tions four days be­fore the May 24 gen­er­al elec­tion. John, speak­ing with Sun­day Guardian yes­ter­day, said the con­tract award had noth­ing to do with the im­pend­ing elec­tion. John said she was un­aware of Prime Min­is­ter Kam­la Per­sad-Bisses­sar's state­ment on Fri­day night about an in­ves­ti­ga­tion in­to the con­tract. "I do not have the con­tract be­fore for me and I do not want to con­tra­dict the Prime Min­is­ter." She said as far as she was aware the board was in op­er­a­tion at the time the con­tract was signed.

John said the Bouygues de­lay costs were in­curred main­ly be­cause the project was put on hold fol­low­ing the change in gov­ern­ment. The Ude­cott boss said the state en­ter­prise failed to pay the con­trac­tor's mo­bil­i­sa­tion fees which has led to the present sit­u­a­tion. "The award of a con­tract is a le­gal doc­u­ment, af­ter that you ex­e­cute the con­tract. You have to give no­tice to pro­ceed and pay the mo­bil­i­sa­tion fees and Ude­cott did not pay the mo­bil­i­sa­tion fee be­cause of the elec­tion," she said. John, who was ap­point­ed Ude­cott chair­man af­ter Calder Hart's res­ig­na­tion in March, as­sured that the $8.6 mil­lion in run-wait de­lay fees can be ne­go­ti­at­ed.

"The con­trac­tor can put that (fee) for­ward, we will then have to ne­go­ti­ate with the con­trac­tor and I think we can ne­go­ti­ate the fee," she said. John in­di­cat­ed that the project was put on hold when the Peo­ple's Part­ner­ship took of­fice to give the new regime an op­por­tu­ni­ty to re­view "all the con­tracts on the ta­ble." The con­tract now has to be re-ne­go­ti­at­ed should the Gov­ern­ment choose to con­tin­ue with the con­struc­tion of the six po­lice sta­tions. She said she would look in­to the mat­ter to­mor­row. (RR)