Signage contractors and manufacturers are being given the opportunity to bid on producing and installing approximately 20,000 direction and location signs for the Ministry of Transport and Works (MTW).
The work will be done under the second phase of the National Signage and Street Infrastructure Project (NSSIP).
The NSSIP was launched in February 2023, when 35 field auditors were trained to use an app to assess, identify, and map the state of signage along 20 routes in Barbados, totalling 480 km. Based on the signs that were assessed, 70 per cent were found to be in poor condition. The data yielded is being used to help the Ministry strategically plan and execute repairs and replacements.
“We are at the stage of public tender to bring some small contractors on board to do the rejuvenation and replacement of those signs in bad condition. It’s over 20,000 signs in the first instance, and these are just directional and location signs, that has nothing to do with traffic signs. It is really beyond the capacity of the ministry to handle this quantum of signage, so it is an opportunity for the smaller players to get their heads in the game about the business of national signage,” a Ministry official said.
The MTW officer explained that the work would be divided into packages and lots based on the dimensions of the signs, so that potential contractors could bid on what they could comfortably produce.
Under phase one of the NSSIP, field auditors also used the app to geo-tag the locations of signs on the Ministry’s digital map. This should assist with finding signage easily. Furthermore, it is anticipated that the data could be used to create a Barbadian digital navigational system.
“The endgame, as we change the infrastructure, is also to move into the digital realm with our signage. You have Microsoft Waves and Google Maps, … but we have the opportunity to use artificial intelligence and technology to create our national navigational system. Small businesses and communities can come on and market themselves, their activities, where to go, how to get there, and so on. That is the digital signage component,” the MTW officer disclosed, adding that it is anticipated that tourism players and communities would support the initiative.
Individuals or businesses interested in bidding on the tender for the National Signage and Street Infrastructure Project may review the details by using the link below:
https://gov-bb.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities
The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
SOURCE: Barbados Government Information Service (GIS).
