The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has admitted that the New Senate Building (NSB) project is undergoing delays due to variation orders which have in turn contributed to increased cost.
This came out during Wednesday’s hearing on the NSB by the Senate Committee on Accounts chaired by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano.
Cayetano, who is currently reviewing the project’s P23 billion estimated cost, clarified that there have been delays in the project even before the Senate reorganization last May.
“Kasi may mga nagpapalabas na dine-delay namin ito ni Senator Escudero,” he said, adding that the NSB project has been delayed by 852 days.
With no specific completion date for the project, DPWH Project Director Soledad Florencio explained that the delays — technically called Extension of Time (EoT) — were due to variation orders and continuous revisions.
This has resulted in more than P78 million worth of EoT charges, within the estimated P800 million cost for the project’s entire variation orders.
Cayetano also raised concerns over the additional design fees amounting to P173 million on top of the P258 million original design fee of the project.
He emphasized that the delays and additional costs could have been avoided if the DPWH had consulted the Senate Coordinating Team (SCT) before finalizing the Detailed Architectural and Engineering Design (DAED) of the project.
“Hindi niyo kinausap ang Senado before DAED, that’s why nagkaroon EoT. Kinausap niyo senado after DAED that’s why nag ka-VO at kaya may EoT [cost] ka na napakalalaki,” Cayetano pointed out.
“On hindsight, avoidable ito . Pwedeng walang RDAED [revised DAED] kung nag usap,” he added.
