sorry
Mods: Most of the "quoted" fragments are in fact my translation from Polish sources, so please do not erase.
I read the article you pointed at, and I repeat what I have said before: I have no clue which side is to be blamed.
We always pay - assures Hadaj Martin, and emphasizes that GDDKiA, as a government body, is bound by specific rules that do not permit for any delays in the payments. - We do not pay only in cases where work done is inconsistent with the provisions of the contract.
But your article is old - 2011-02-11. Here is something newer: from 2011-04-21: "Consortium NDI SA - SB Granite abandoned construction site A4". GDDKiA clearly points its finger at NDI SA - SB Granit. In any event - this does not look good.
Going back to the "Chinese" problem with Highway A2:
The Chinese consortium COVEC announced Friday its intention to opt out of further construction of the A2 motorway between Stryków and Konotopa - told PAP Andrzej Maciejewski of the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways. The contractor asks for more talks , but the government is preparing two backup options .
This is an unprecedented situation . Never before government General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways ( GDDKiA ) did not were replaced by the main contractor of the contract in his duties. Yesterday, officials of the de facto started manually manage the construction of endangered sections of the A2 highway . China Overseas Engineering Group , which is building two of the five sections of the highway from Lodz to Warsaw , is on the verge of losing the contract. Foreign shoulder China Railway Engineering - construction giant behind the Great Wall , reaching over 20 billion dollars in revenue a year - can not cope with the implementation of 50 km highway for 1.3 billion zł .The contractor asks for more talks, but the government is already preparing two backup options.
This is an unprecedented situation. Never before has the government's GDDKiA replaced the main contractor in its contract obligations. Yesterday the GDDKiA officials started de facto manually managing the construction of the vulnerable sections of the route A2. China Overseas Engineering Group, which builds two of the five sections of the highway from £ódź to Warsaw, is on the verge of losing the contract. Foreign arm of China Railway Engineering - a construction giant behind the Great Wall, reaching more than 20 billion dollars of revenue a year - can not cope with the implementation of 50 km highway for the 1.3 billion zł.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with Minister of Infrastructure Cezary Grabarczyk and GDDKiA. According to our information, he did not mince any words.
- The Prime Minister gave us his permission for very decisive actions - says Radoslaw Stepien, Deputy Minister responsible for road infrastructure.
Regardless of the ongoing procedures GDDKiA and Ministry of Infrastructure are working on the backup options. - The overall aim is to maintain the goal of highway readiness for the end of May 2012.
Backup plan 1: direct management of subcontractorsAccording to our information, the safest option for now is to continue the work of subcontractors present at the construction site under the supervision of GDDKiA.
This is the most likely scenario in words of Konrad Jaskóła, head of Polimex-Mostostal, which builds the B fragment of the A2 highway separating the "Chinese" sections of the route.
- The is the only realistic option if the highway is to be built on time. Any other scenario leaves us with no chance to finish. A new tender would take at least six months - and then the construction site will be covered by snow - says Konrad Jaskóła.
According to our information, GDDKiA is taking over the control right now. Yesterday in Warsaw the agency met with more than twenty subcontractors, which interrupted their work on the highway A2 in mid-May. The GDDKiA executives, even before meeting with the Prime Minister, had assured the companies that the overdue money will be paid and encouraged them to return to work.
- We will be able to settle down with the subcontractors, bypassing the Chinese contractor, provided that a reliable proof of work is presented to us - we were told tonight at GDDKiA office.
The on-site work will be coordinated by the two project managers, under the guidance of a so-called contract engineer; that is, a consortium of consulting firms supervising the construction and led by DHV company.
Backup plan 2: "Pospolite ruszenie", "levée en masse"Another backup solution is to involve contractors working on other sections of A2: Polimex-Mostostal, Budimex and Strabag.
- We are able to bring on site additional machines and workers - says Dariusz Blocher, president of Budimex. To make this possible, GDDKiA - after throwing the Chinese out of the site - would have to conduct negotiations with the invited companies and to sign the contract on the fly.
- It has been done with the stadium in Wroclaw, when the first contractor did not handle the project properly . It was a similar scenario and it is possible to execute it quickly - says Konrad Jaskóła.
I wish them the best - even just to play with the nerves of those black ravens that just appeared on TV - cawing and enjoying themselves. "Whatever Midas touched, it turned into gold, whatever Tusk touches it turns to the one - you know what" - says Kurski. Clever!
