The government says the tender process for the expansion of the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus is expected to begin in early March, following revisions to the project’s structural design.

Director General of Communications in the Prime Minister’s Office, Maurice Merchant, said Cabinet received a technical and procurement update on Wednesday regarding both the campus expansion and the construction of the Five Islands Primary School.

He said amendments were made to the project’s structural and foundation designs after further geotechnical assessments.

“The technical team advised that amendments were made to the project’s structural and foundation designs to incorporate the results of a completed geotechnical study,” Merchant said.

In response, the contractor was granted permission to explore a more cost-effective structural option, including the use of a steel frame system.

Merchant said the request for proposals documentation has already been reviewed and returned for corrections and updates.

“Upon resubmission and approval by the relevant financing and oversight bodies, the project will be issued for local and international tender,” he said. “Current projections indicate that the tender process should commence early in March.”

Cabinet has also directed project technicians to take deliberate steps to ensure greater participation by local contractors.

“The cabinet was very, very clear in advising the technicians to get pools of local contractors together,” Merchant said. He explained that the bidding process will focus on experienced firms capable of handling projects of that magnitude, making collaboration essential.

“Therefore, in order for this to be possible for local contractors, there needs to be a merger,” he said.

Merchant described the opportunity as potentially transformative for the local construction sector.

“It could be a game changer for the construction field in Antigua and Barbuda,” he said.

Cabinet is also moving to compile and publicly advertise a database of local contractors, suppliers and vendors to help international firms identify qualified domestic partners once the bidding process opens.

Groundbreaking for the expansion is expected later this year, as the government seeks to increase capacity at the Five Islands campus and support continued growth in tertiary education.