Domino effect of indecisions in government
The Department of Public Works plays a key role in the disposition of public projects that subsequently translate into the slow infusion of funds into the local economy.
It plays an even more important role at a time when business activities in the private sector have come to a screeching halt. If DPW moves on projects on a timely basis, everything else follows. If it doesn’t, all planned projects are stalled, unnecessarily.
What has gone wrong in years past with DPW? There’s constant political interference from top guns on Capital Hill. This imposition compromises even technical decisions from real experts as to frustrate their enthusiasm to proactively streamline awards of public works projects mandated DPW by pertinent laws and regulations.
The constancy of political interference on matters that are strictly the purview of technical experts has created a vacuum in leadership in DPW. This was further exacerbated by the apparent confusion over who’s the boss: the special assistant for administration, the governor, legislature or someone in the DPW organization.
This confusion definitely delays the review process of public works projects destined for bidding which must precede public announcements, selection of bidder, the lead time the contractor needs to get his ducks in order from materials to labor, discounting the time frame for completion.
If you will, it must be understood that this entire exercise involves a lengthy process. It takes at least (depending on the size of the project) a minimum of six months to a year or three years for that matter before these projects are completed and turned over to the government. In short, the bureaucratic red tape on public
works project must, therefore, be handled with precision and professionalism. Let us hope that this process is streamlined in the interest of the timely completion of needed projects in order to avoid unnecessary inflation in costs.
Any delay translates into added costs, often beyond what funds were specifically earmarked for certain projects. It is what you call inefficiency at best, a blunder at worse. A lot of improvement is needed in this area and let’s hope we can get our acts together once and for all. Si Yuus Maase`!
