31 subcontractors benefit from the SPARK programme, says Morgan

KINGSTON, Jamaica—The amount of work subcontracted by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) under the SPARK programme to 31 subcontractors totals $900,000,000.00. This was revealed by Minister with responsibility for Works, Robert Morgan in the House of Representatives on September 22, as he responded to questions posed by the Member of Parliament (MP) for St Ann South East, Dr Kenneth Russell. Russell, had asked Morgan ‘what proportion of SPARK sub-contracts are awarded to Jamaican-owned firms and the proportion of total SPARK expenditure represented by these sub-contracts?’ In his response, Morgan explained that the SPARK contract with a total value of $45 billion which includes a water component was competitively tendered internationally.

“Hence, sub-contracting, while encouraged and urged by the Government of Jamaica, is at the gift of the main contractor. They were given based on agreement with the main contractor in keeping with his contract obligations”. Morgan was also asked ‘what number and per cent of completed SPARK roads were completed within the implementation timeframe and, for those that were not completed on time, the principal reasons for delays in completion?

In his written response Morgan noted that most of the SPARK roads experienced delays, primarily due to the unknown factor of waterlines and their condition. “The advent of Hurricane Melissa within the same year when the programme started has caused set back to the programme,” he said. The works minister was also asked to state the total length of roads under the management of the National Works Agency (NWA) disaggregated by constituency.

Morgan shared that the NWA has responsibility for approximately 5,000 kilometres of roads. He also said the NWA classified road conditions as ‘good, fair and bad’. As to the overall condition of the road network based on each classification, Morgan told Russell that the NWA’s 10-year cyclical Road Condition Survey was due in 2024 but was delayed due to Hurricane Beryl which impacted the island in July that year, and Hurricane Melissa which caused widespread destruction on October 28, 2025.

He also noted the impact of Tropical Storm Raphael in November 2024. Morgan told the House that the Government was now at the procurement stage for the Road Condition Survey.