📋 Tender Overview
The Office of the Comptroller General revealed irregularities in the expansion of the water service for irrigation in the Higuerón Alto sector, in the district of San Jacinto in the province of Tumbes in charge of the Puyango Tumbes Binational Special Project (PEBPT), for an amount greater than S/6 million and which began on September 25, 2020, with an initial term of 150 days.
In a first point, according to the Specific Control Report No. 23714-2023-CG/GRTB-SCE, at the beginning of the period the director of agricultural infrastructure and irrigation and inspector of the entity approved the schedule of progress of the work, despite the fact that the payment schedule was not prepared according to the schedule of execution of the works, a situation that did not allow us to control its correct progress.
In another sense, it was found that two days before the end of the execution period, February 19, 2021, the director of the agricultural infrastructure directorate, the follow-up and monitoring professional and the mechanical engineer hired by the entity for the monitoring of the work, together with the contractor and supervisor, signed the suspension of the deadline, arguing a delay on the part of a supplier in the delivery of imported equipment due to COVID 19, despite the unjustified delays of the contractor due to the non-execution of the items scheduled and approved by the entity.
These devices were for pumping irrigation water from the pumping chamber. Thus, it was evidenced that the quote was sent on November 6 and was only finalized on the 30th of the same month. It should be noted that the officials were aware of the unjustified delays that had been occurring and that the cause cited in the suspension protected the non-execution on time of the item of the mechanical component that corresponded to the installation of the electric pumps for the collection of water, until that date 5 valuations were paid.
In this regard, the control commission warned that for the payment of the first valuation, only work was carried out on the impulsion/discharge piping system, but according to the schedule, progress should also have been made on the pumping house, mechanical and electrical components, medium voltage use system, works of art, a situation that continued to arise in the second valuation.
Likewise, in the third valuation the delay continued, it was after almost 60 days that the actions began in the pumping house. Despite this, the person in charge of the follow-up and monitoring of the work gave the agreement and the payment was processed in favor of the company. A similar situation was found in the payments of the fourth and fifth valuations, where officials validated benefits that were not in accordance with the established progress program, without taking any action with respect to the unjustified arrears.
Additionally, it was identified that the missing equipment was delivered on February 26, 2021, 7 days after the suspension was signed. However, the aforementioned officials only signed the restart of the work on April 19 of the same year, that is, 53 days after the delivery by the supplier.
During the suspension, the same officials approved and processed an extension of time required by the contractor for a change of the route in the pipeline that included cutting and demolition of the pavement for 20 days, from February 22 to March 13. They alleged that the critical path had been affected, but without presenting a technical basis or identifying the dependency relationships between the items that would have been affected, they only highlighted the delay of PROVIAS in granting the authorization.
According to the workbook, it was completed on August 12, 2021, 171 days after its completion date. The actions of the entity's workers prevented the maximum penalty from being charged, generating an economic loss of S/651,272.33 in addition to the increase in supervision expenses due to the extension of the deadline granted of 20 days, for an amount of S/19,450.29. In total, PEBPT was harmed by S/670,722,62.
After the irregularities determined, three officials with alleged responsibility were identified, two under the criminal scope and three in charge of the administrative process of the entity. The document was sent to the Executive Director of PEBPT so that he can take the necessary actions and is published in the Control Service Report Finder of the institutional portal www.gob.pe/contraloria for the sake of transparency and access to information.
