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The National Association for Medium and Small-Scale Contractors (NAMSSC) has unearthed a scam in which most of the projects under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) are being underpriced and their successful completion is at the expense of the contractor’s profit.
Addressing a briefing on Monday in Lusaka, Association President, Edgar Siakachoma, accused Councilors and Members of Parliament of taking advantage of hapless and gullible engineers in the local authorities and at line Ministry level to determine the prices of executing projects.
Siakachoma said his Association is overwhelmed with complaints about the conduct of engineers in local authorities who have traded their professionalism with political expediency.
He said the engineers have chosen to tow a political line of underpricing projects for the sake of having many of them running at any given time.
“Engineers, at the instigation of politicians, thus councilors and Members of Parliament subject contractors to ridiculous rates so that more projects can be executed at minimum cost without due regard to the executors of works, the contractors,” Siakachoma said.
He proposed that the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development needs to constitute a team comprising Independent Quantity Surveyors, Contractors, Engineers and other stakeholders to devise an equitable pricing mechanism for executing projects.
Siakachoma also urged the local authorities that not all contractors are prepared to spend out of budget to create a name for themselves.
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“How can one justify the cost of a 1×3 Class Room Block to be K 600,000 in Lukulu, Sinazongwe, Dundumwezi, Sioma, Kalabo, Sikongo, Solwezi, Kabompo, Kaputa, Chasefu, Chadiza etc. when the same cost of transportation of materials is around K150,000.00? he has questioned.
Siakachoma said there are no cement, steel, or paint factories in these outlying areas, the roads are barely passable and the transportation cost is therefore astronomical.
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