fp Turks and Caicos

The Turks and Caicos Islands government has extended until Jan. 31 the deadline for tenders to mine 321,000 cubic yards of sand for construction purposes from six different areas.

The deadline had been Dec. 31.

The sites and cubic yards of construction grade sand available are:

Grand Turk

• Boaby Rock: 20,000
• North Creek Beach: 34,000
• North Creek Channel: 33,000

North Caicos

• Over Wash Salina: 25,000
• North Mouth Bottle Creek: 69,000

Middle Caicos

• Juniper Hole: 122,000

All mining will require approval from the Department of Planning, a building permit and a sand mining license.

In most of the areas, the removal of sand will aid in navigation of local waters. The Department of Environment and Coastal Resources will oversee and monitor mining to make sure there is no damage to the environment, the government said.

Much of the sand not being mined for construction — such as beach grade sand in areas of West Grace Bay off Providenciales — will be reserved for beach renourishment of areas damaged by hurricanes.

A special tender board will be appointed by the permanent secretary of Finance acting on the advice of the permanent secretary of Trade. It will include representatives from DECR; the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Communication; the Ministry of Finance; the Department of Planning; the Department of Public Works; and the Attorney General’s Office.

Bidders must pay $400 for bidding documents that include the 2007 Sand Mining Study and a summary of the six sites.

The timetable for the tenders is:

• Tender deadline: Jan. 31
• Tender evaluation: Feb. 1-14
• Bidders notified of outcome of tender process: Feb. 16-21
• Pre-contract negotiations: Feb. 16-28
• Contracts awarded: March 1
• Service commence: April 1