The Ghana Educational Trust Fund (GETFund) will henceforth strengthen its frontiers to deal with only credible contractors in order for the country to derive maximum benefits from the $1.5billion that has been approved for the development of educational infrastructure.
Before the current management of the GETFund came into the picture, there were reports of contracts getting into the hands of unqualified contractors.
There were situations where unqualified contractors were awarded contracts and they in turn sold them out to qualified contractors at exorbitant prices.
But that weird ways of doing things are now in the past and there is new era at the GETFund because the current handlers want value for money and will not deal with novices.
With the approval of the $1.5 billion, only tried and tested contractors who will go through the laid down tender processes will handle GETFund projects.
A source at the office of the GETFund Administrator, said that things were being done differently this time round because the nation must get value for the $1.5billiion approved by Parliament.
The source told The Inquisitor that the money would take care of arrears owed contractors, completion of abandoned projects and the initiating of new projects.
Already, the GETFund management has served notice to contractors that the office does not deal with middlemen or agents in it activities.
There are also plans to limit the period for the processing of payment certificates when new projects start.
Already, the leadership of the Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors of Ghana (ABCECG) have met with the top government officials, including Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Education; Procurement Ministry and the Administrator of GETFund, Mr. Richard Boadu, to discuss issues affecting the construction industry.
Mr. Boadu and Professor Dominic Fobih, Board Chairman of GETFund, have plugged all holes which hitherto were a goldmine for people to milk the nation.
Their moves had not gone down well with some elements in the industry who were earlier bent on embarking on smear campaign, but they failed.
As part of initiatives to treat contractors fairly and with dignity, the GETFund recent invited contractors to submit proper documentations and other relevant information for work to de done on how to settle arrears.
