Official clarifies tender on road maintenance, vegetation control

ROAD maintenance and vegetation control along the highway from Yalu to Watarais in Markham, Morobe, falls under the Australian government funded Transport Sector Support Programme (TSSP), an official says.
Therefore, the tender process to select contractors is conducted by the TSSP while the provincial works office only facilitates and coordinates the ground works.
Morobe provincial works manager Kingsford Kasen revealed this while responding to a query by a contractor in Wampar who said he had also submitted a bid for vegetation control but was unsuccessful.
Kasen said there were three segments of vegetation control from Yalu to Watarais which were tendered and almost 300 bidders applied.
“Based on set criteria, only three contractors were selected for vegetation control along the highway,” Kasen said.
He said the selection was done by TSSP but because the highway was a State property, it has over-riding power to make decisions.