Preconco at centre of St Kitts school row

A political storm is brewing in St Kitts and Nevis over the construction of the new Basseterre High School, with controversy surrounding the decision to manufacture components of the multimillion-dollar structure offshore in Barbados.

Preconco Ltd, a Barbadian construction firm, was awarded the contract in 2024, originally reported at EC$100 million but is now alleged to have skyrocketed to EC$271 million. The project is billed as the largest public infrastructure undertaken in the nation’s history.

However, the initiative has faced fierce backlash from Kittitians, who argue that the off-island construction method deprives the local workforce of significant benefits and lacks transparency.

Executive chairman of Preconco, Mark Maloney, broke his silence on the issue in an exclusive interview with the Weekend Nation, confirming that the company was utilising its factory at Lears, St Michael, to manufacture structural components including wall panels, floor slabs and columns.

“Preconco is proud to be contributing our expertise in precast concrete technology to deliver a modern, resilient educational facility for the students and community of St Kitts,” Maloney said.

He noted that this off-site approach was not new to the company, citing 35 years of experience as the Caribbean’s leading manufacturer of precast products. Maloney highlighted previous successful regional projects, including rapid housing reconstruction in Dominica following Hurricane Maria.

“The decision to build the components in Barbados was made by the government of St Kitts and Nevis, in partnership with our team, to ensure the highest standards of quality, speed, durability and value
for a state-of-the-art school in a hurricane-prone region,” Maloney said.

“While the method delivers overall cost efficiencies through optimisation and reduced on-site time, the primary drivers are quality, speed and long-term durability, not simply labour cost reduction,” Maloney explained. “This approach allows the school to open sooner for the benefit of St Kitts.”

Addressing concerns that the project bypasses local workers, Maloney pointed to government assurances that about 95 per cent of the on-site workforce will be Kittitian. He detailed that locals would be employed in foundation preparation, erection, installation, interior fit-outs, electrical and plumbing works and landscaping.

“Preconco’s role is specialised manufacturing of the structural components in Barbados, which complements rather than replaces local labour,” he insisted.

St Kitts Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew, who recently toured the Lears facility, announced that four containers carrying the first foundation kits – including pre-cut steel reinforcement – had been loaded for shipment. He confirmed that full construction was set to begin this month with a two-year completion timeline.

Despite these assurances, the opposition is demanding answers. During the 2026 Budget Debate in Parliament, former Deputy Prime Minister Dr Shawn Richards launched a scathing critique of the administration.

Richards demanded to know who was awarded the contract and whether the company had already received EC$27 million “with nothing built”. He questioned if the contract was issued for US$100 million or the rumoured EC$271 million, branding the project a symbol of “opacity, fiscal recklessness and contempt for public accountability”.

Sources in St Kitts have raised further alarm regarding the procurement process, alleging there was no evidence the contract was put out to tender.

“Several companies in the local construction sector report that they were never invited to submit proposals, never saw a request for bids and never received information about how the contractor was selected,” a source revealed.

Critics also noted that this was the second time a Barbadian company was contracted for the school’s construction. A previous administration allegedly paid another firm EC$50 million, yet the school was never built and the funds remain unaccounted for.

“For a country the size of St Kitts and Nevis, this makes the Basseterre High School redevelopment the most expensive public school project in the region relative to population size,” the source added.

As the debate intensifies, Maloney expressed belief that this construction model had strong potential for wider adoption across the Caribbean to address challenges like skilled labour shortages and the need for climate-resilient infrastructure.

Regarding accusations about spiralling costs, Maloney said: “There is no truth to that and the cost has never changed.” 

He added that he was not getting involved in any political commentary because his company was only delivering a product. 

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