Joseph Portelli to snatch €18 million Naxxar school contract

Gozitan developer Joseph Portelli and his associates are set to bag another €18 million government contract to demolish and build a government primary school in Naxxar.

The contract issued by the Foundation for Tomorrow’s Schools (FTS) will see the demolition of the old complex in Triq l-Iskola and the construction of a new facility, which will rise from the current two storeys to five, including two underground. The façade of the old school would be retained.

At the tender’s closing, Portelli’s PRA Construction filed the lowest bid, at €17.9 million, followed by Rockcut’s €18.5 million.

FTS, the government agency responsible for public school building projects, has been going through a very rough patch, particularly since Neville Young was installed as its CEO.

While Young and his assistant, Jonathan Brimmer, are currently being investigated over alleged maltreatment of their employees, senior professionals with years of experience have deserted the agency.

This had a head-on effect on the FTS, with projects delayed by years, leading to the agency’s projects’ costs rising exponentially.

The latest two examples are the Msida and Victoria primary schools in Gozo, which are scheduled to open this year.

The Msida primary had to open in 2019, but this will only happen this year because the project was marred by mismanagement. During construction, some newly built structures had to be demolished again due to wrong building techniques that went unnoticed.

It is unclear what action, if any, the FTS has taken to recoup some of the added costs.

The new Msida primary cost €10 million more than initially estimated.

The same happened in Gozo, where the new Victoria primary was slated to host its first students in 2022. At an estimated cost of €10 million, its bills have now reached €18 million, and it will open its doors two years later.

Plans for the new primary in Victoria were first announced in 2017.