SPARK Programme Grounded In Transparency, Fairness and Sound Project Management – Minister Morgan

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development with responsibility for Works, Hon. Robert Morgan, addresses a JIS Think Tank on the SPARK Programme.

Decisions under the Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) Programme are guided by transparency, fairness, and sound project management principles, says Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development, Hon. Robert Morgan.

Speaking at a JIS Think Tank on Thursday (May 14), Minister Morgan, who has responsibility for Works, said that the selection of roads under the programme is done after consultations involving communities, technical experts, public servants and the implementing agencies, noting that it is free from unilateral political interference.

“It is not an arbitrary decision where a Minister or an MP [Member of Parliament] simply chose roads. The process started through a publicly stated policy approach to road rehabilitation and improvement,” he said.

The Minister said that once roads are selected, designed and contracts issued, significant changes become difficult and costly to implement.

“When a road is chosen, the design process begins, work orders are issued, contractors mobilised and consultants also begin mobilisation,” he pointed out.

“If you change that process midway, the contractor would have already incurred costs and the Government would then have to absorb those costs because there is a valid contractual arrangement in place,” he said.

“At the beginning of a contract, minor adjustments may be possible, but as the project matures, making changes becomes almost impossible. We do not have the funding to return to Cabinet and request additional resources because of avoidable changes; that would be irresponsible,” he added.

The Minister said that any major changes would require returning to the citizens for consultation.

“A politician cannot simply come at the back end and override decisions that communities participated in making,” he pointed out, noting that all requests and correspondence regarding changes are referred to the relevant technical agencies and public officials for assessment to preserve transparency and public confidence in the process.

“Everything we do is transparent. We have not done anything in secret. The public servants and technical agencies are the ones who determine whether circumstances justify adjustments,” he said, stressing that care is taken to not interfere in a way that could raise concerns about fairness or political influence.

The SPARK Programme forms part of the Government’s broader infrastructure improvement strategy aimed at upgrading Jamaica’s road network while ensuring transparency, fiscal responsibility, and community involvement in project implementation.

Written By: Peta-Gay Hodges.