Few Tenderers For Some State Jobs

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29890, 2 August 1962, Page 12

Few Tenderers For Some State Jobs

(New Zealana Press Association) DUNEDIN, August 1. In spite of demands from private contractors for a greater proportion of Government work, fewer than three tendered for 134 of the 237 contracts let by tender by the Ministry of Works last year, said the Commissioner of Works (Mr J. T. Gilkison). He was referring to calls for more work from contractors attending the annual conference of the New Zealand Associated General Contractors’ Federation in Dunedin today.

It was difficult to reconcile these figures with claims for more work, he said. The figures, in fact, were justification for the department remaining active in the construction field. The value of the 237 con■racts for earthwork and metalling, bridging and seal ing let by the Works Department last year was £7.242.000 In addition. £1.928.000 was paid for plant hire. The figure was the biggest amount ever committed in one year to private contractors Last year 57 per cent of the work under the department's direction was done by contract, 17 per cent by the department using contractors' equipment, and 26 per cent, by the department’s forces The need of the department. to be active in the construction field at this stage of New Zealand's development was a point on which the department and the federation would never be in full agreement, Mr Gilkison said. The department’s prime re-

sponsibility was to ensure that a sound engineering job was done. Its next responsibility was to ensure that the cos; was reasonable. It must always be prepared to step in itself and do the work when it could not get a suitable tender, or when the urgency of the job demanded that it was started without the delay or cost of calling for tenders. As the contracting industry grew in strength its performance would improve and the percentage of work available would increase. But every time a contract went badly it was a step in the wrong direction for contractors. Mr Gilkison suggested that the federation had it in its power to help its members out of difficulties. “You allow, on occasions, your members to struggle along and put up a poor performance that reflects no cedit on the contracting industry. when there is idle contracting capacity that could so easily improve the position.”