November 22, 2023
©UNOPS
The Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT) and the National Road Council (CONAVI) signed the memorandum of agreement with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) on November 17, for the supervision of the works. of the expansion of Route 32 between Río Frío and Limón.
Mauricio Batalla, executive director of CONAVI, commented that direct contracting with UNOPS is a possibility established by the Law that governs the Route 32 project. “CONAVI terminated the contract with the previous manager after a series of irregularities identified in an external audit. The company ended its period on October 8, therefore, the project continued under the supervision of the administration until the entry of UNOPS,” said Batalla.
The contract with UNOPS will be extended for one year, in order to complete the delivery of the road by the China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC) no later than December 2024. To date, the project has progressed more than 83%.
Batalla indicated that “UNOPS will have as a priority serving as a social and quality manager, ensuring that the relevant vectors exist for the good use of public resources and the development of the project in time, cost, scope and quality. In addition, the fundamental actions that UNOPS has to carry out, which has a vital role in the development of the project.”
The MOPT will hold meetings in the coming days with a delegation from the Exim Bank of China, in order to request an extension to the credit that expires in April 2024 and that will allow the works to be completed.