Tragsa will take over the works on the Avenida Marítima in Arrecife throughout "this week". According to councilor Ariagona González, the delay has been due to the count of materials that the Cabildo will "collect" to make available to Tragsa. In total, this public company will charge 656,000 euros to finish the work. Once it starts, it will have an execution period of 2 months. González has also explained that the termination of the contract with Ingemont includes penalties for this company for a total of 342,000 euros, although it has a period of 15 days to present allegations and appeal these sanctions. For the part of the works that it has carried out, Ingemont will charge 631,000 euros.
Regarding the start of the works by Tragsa, Ariagona González did not want to venture an exact day, alleging that the public company still has aspects to "prepare" and that she cannot give "a day and an hour". After announcing that it was terminating the contract with Ingemont, the Cabildo announced that this would happen last Monday the 16th, but the date was delayed and Ingemont was given another 5 days to make that material count. This Monday, a week later, the merchants complained that the works were still stopped and showed no signs of starting. In this regard, the councilor has stressed that "the reason why we have taken a little longer" has been that liquidation of materials and the analysis of what has already been executed of the work and what remains pending.
This has finally been done, so that the Cabildo already has the "occupation certificate of the work" and the Minister of Commerce has given the first figures. Thus, she has indicated that Ingemont will charge 631,000 euros for the part of the project that it has executed, compared to the 1,185,610 euros for which the tender was awarded. However, to that must be added at least 109,000 euros that the Cabildo will have to pay for the materials that were already purchased and that will be used to finish the work.
The Cabildo will pay more than 100,000 in material for Tragsa to finish
In addition to those 109,000 in material that is already on the island, the Cabildo will also take care of other materials that were ordered and have not yet arrived. These are, González explained, "benches and other materials that have been made especially for the Avenida" and that the Cabildo still has to "receive and count" to add them later to those 109,000 euros.
Thus, Ariagona González has emphasized that the figure of that collection "is not one hundred percent closed" and "is going to change". She estimates that they will have the final data in about "three or four weeks". "That's also why we have been slow to give the information, because the information we have is not unchangeable," the councilor excused. The merchants had reproached this Monday the lack of explanations from the Cabildo. "I know that people on the street want to know what is happening, but as it is not one hundred percent closed, I don't like to say things that are not true afterwards," González pointed out.
Regarding that collection, the councilor has assured that "it is not that we are doing Ingemont a favor; we are doing ourselves a favor because, if not, we would have to re-order the material outside and that material would have to arrive in Lanzarote". "In that time we would not finish the work," she stressed. The councilor added that "Tragsa obviously does not charge us for that material because we are putting it in ourselves", so the 656,000 euros for which the works have been entrusted do not include that concept.
"Penalties" for Ingemont for failing to meet deadlines and not implementing improvements
On the other hand, the councilor has stressed that there has been no "breach" by Tragsa, since it has not yet taken over the works. Thus, she has reiterated that the delay has been due "simply" to the fact that Ingemont needed more days to "liquidate" the work well. In addition, she has denied that the company has put obstacles to leave.
Ingemont's breaches, however, have been confirmed by the legal services of the Cabildo, which have determined that it is appropriate to impose sanctions for two concepts. "The breach of the monthly work plan is included in the liquidation and it is also included that there are technical improvements that have not been implemented," González explains.
On the one hand, it has been determined that Ingemont must pay 74,000 euros for that breach of the monthly work plan. It should be remembered that the first execution period that was given to this company was January 31 of this year. After failing to comply with it, it was later granted a 3-month extension that it has also failed to comply with. Thus, month after month "the work that should be done and is not done is added" as established in the specifications and finally it is added, giving that amount, González has indicated. In addition, "the specification included some technical improvements", which have not been made either and for which Ingemont has been imposed another penalty of 268,000 euros. In total, it must pay the Administration 342,000 euros.
However, this figure is not definitive either, since "now they can claim". "They can present allegations and we will have to see if they are viable or not," the councilor specifies. Regarding the possibility of more penalties, González has indicated that, for the moment, "this is what the legal services have said that must be done". "If later the legal services tell us that we have to do something else, we will do it, but until today, it is like that".