Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) on Tuesday rejected allegations of corruption or preferential treatment in the award of several contracts to Sigma Engineers Ltd, saying the projects were subjected to competitive tendering through the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).
The utility issued the statement amid questions raised by Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed about Sigma’s ownership, its alleged connection to President Irfaan Ali’s brother, Mohamed Aqtar Ali, and more than $12 billion in contracts which the Opposition Leader said had been awarded to the company.
GWI said the contract for three large water treatment plants, identified as Lot Three, attracted nine bidders and was awarded to Sigma for approximately $3.6 billion.
According to the utility, the competing bids ranged from approximately $3.9 billion to $7 billion. It said the other lots under the programme were awarded to Hi-Pro Ecologicos SA of Mexico and Toshiba Water Solutions of Japan.
GWI also defended the award of the Hope Surface Water Treatment Plant contract, saying six companies participated in the international bidding process and Sigma submitted the lowest bid among the five responsive bidders.
The utility said the remaining bidder, although submitting a lower price, was deemed non-responsive because it had no experience constructing large water treatment plants, including surface-water facilities.
A similar explanation was given for the rehabilitation of the Shelter Belt Water Treatment Plant. GWI said another company submitted a marginally lower financial proposal but lacked the experience required for a project of that complexity. Sigma was consequently assessed as presenting the best evaluated responsive bid.
GWI said a contract for the drilling of wells at Friendship, Westminster, Shelter Belt and Melanie Damishana attracted ten bidders. Sigma submitted the lowest responsive bid of $411.6 million, while the other bids ranged from $454.5 million to $782 million, the utility said.
It credited the company with completing high-yield production wells in approximately two months and said this had accelerated efforts to increase water production.
Under a Caribbean Development Bank-financed water supply programme, Sigma was also awarded the lot for the construction of treatment plants at Leguan and Wakenaam. GWI said the other two lots were awarded to Action Construction and Equipment of India.
The corporation said it was satisfied with Sigma’s work, citing what it described as the company’s technical competence, adherence to its contractual obligations and timely execution of projects.
“All of the data presented is also published by the NPTAB through recorded minutes for public view,” GWI said.
The statement follows allegations by the Opposition Leader that Aqtar Ali was linked to Sigma and that the company had received more than $12 billion in state contracts.
Mohamed alleged that Sigma Engineers Ltd Inc was registered in Guyana on October 6, 2022, with Tamjeed Rahmaan, whom he described as a close associate of Aqtar Ali, listed as its incorporator, director and secretary. He also alleged that Aqtar Ali’s name appeared in the company’s financial records.
The Opposition Leader cited contracts for works at Caledonia, Cummings Lodge and Bachelor’s Adventure, as well as additional works at Bachelor’s Adventure and projects at Hope, Wakenaam, Leguan and Shelter Belt. He also questioned the award of several well-drilling contracts and called on the Financial Intelligence Unit to investigate Sigma’s ownership, procurement history and financial transactions.
GWI Chief Executive Officer Shaik Baksh had told Kiskadee Watch that Sigma had secured the contracts through international tenders and had been the lowest responsive bidder for several of the projects.
He said GWI was unaware of any involvement by Aqtar Ali in the procurement exercises.
“So far as GWI is concerned, he was never a figure,” Baksh was quoted as saying.
Sigma has also rejected Mohamed’s allegations and threatened legal proceedings. It said Aqtar Ali is employed as a senior technical consultant to its Guyana operation but has no affiliation with the company in Bangladesh.
In a lawyer’s letter subsequently reported by Kiskadee Watch, Sigma said the locally incorporated company had received only one contract since its registration in 2022: the 2026 contract for rehabilitation of GWI’s Shelter belt facility.
GWI’s release referred generally to “Sigma Engineers Ltd” as having received the earlier contracts, while Sigma’s lawyer maintained that the locally incorporated Sigma Engineers Ltd Inc was not awarded the other contracts identified by the Opposition Leader.
Aqtar Ali has separately denied being a director or shareholder in any of the companies identified by Mohamed. Through his attorney, he demanded a withdrawal and apology and threatened defamation proceedings.
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