Shari Smikle

“In October 2026, the Incorporated Masterbuilders Association of Jamaica (IMAJ) reported that some contractors were still awaiting payment for school repairs following Hurricane Beryl in 2024. Imagine asking businesses to answer another national emergency while bills from the last one remain unpaid. One of the fastest ways to put contractors out of business, slow down work, and earn a reputation as a government nobody wants to do business with is to pay LATE. Word in the industry travels quickly, and a reputation for chronic late payment sticks like cement. The domino effect is destructive and quite easy to predict — contractors lose interest in bidding, suppliers tighten credit, and skilled workers either avoid or refuse the work. In a single act of institutional neglect, late payment will drain the lifeblood from the government contracting system, inflate project management costs, and virtually guarantee that critical work runs behind schedule and over budget. Eventually, the State pivots to a familiar defence: lamenting a “national shortage of skilled labour” while blaming unnamed bureaucratic obstacles for delays. It is a familiar tune for Jamaica that masterfully absolves government of responsibility.” Read my arguments in the business section of today’s Sunday Gleaner jamaica-gleaner.com/article/…