Africa-Press – Botswana. The Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN) P79 million project is expected to be completed at the start of the new academic year in August.
The project comprises two lecture halls, four laboratories, chemical store building, the ablution and eternal works. In an interview of the sidelines of Minister of Higher Education, Mr Prince Maele’s BUAN recent tour, the project engineer, Mr Odirile Oleseng said they had accelerated the completion of the project undertaken by Stanley Holding since May 2024.
He said the contractor, who started the project in 2019, failed to deliver hence they engaged Stanley Holding. Initially, he said the contractor was to complete the project by September 2024 but encountered challenges, even though they were ready to do a partial handing over of the facilities that were completed. He also said they were working with the engineer for extension of time as they were expected to have completed works by March 2025. He further said they were to use the extension for works such as landscaping, provision of loose furniture, CCTV and audio visuals.
Mr Oleseng said contractual provisions for delays were multi-faceted in that expenses incurred due to delays were accrued by both the employer and contractor. He said the structures were thermal, which was cost effective, as it had no cost variations with brick and mortar. He also said the thermal structure kept buildings cool in summer and warm in winter though the material used was not the usual brick and mortar. He mentioned that the structures were estimated to have a life span of 20 years though brick and mortar would last 50 years.
Mr Oleseng said at the commencement of the project they were to build porta cabin but opted for Alternative Building Technologies (ABT), adding that their experience with Botswana International University of Science and Technology had taught them that porta cabins were not the best structures for laboratories. The engineer further said Stanley Holdings specialised with ABT which was mostly prefabricated material ideal for construction of schools and hospitals as it was as good as brick and mortar. Minister Maele said the project must be completed on time to curb more expenses on the part of government.
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