A number of visible improvements have been made at the six-storey Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi building in Sogi, among them new buttons for the elevators which had to be imported.  

Two Government employees, one male, and one female, who work in the T.A.T.T.E. building expressed their satisfaction with the elevator repairs.

Manager of T.A.T.T.E., Lauano Fa'aso'o, told the Samoa Observer, replacing the missing buttons in several elevators was not so simple. 

The elevators were manufactured in China and the missing buttons could only be imported from China, he noted.

"You can't just go to any shop and pick up these buttons. They can't be ordered from New Zealand or anywhere else. The buttons had to come from China," Lauano said.

He explained that there is a process that must be followed in Government projects, including all repairs that are carried out at T.A.T.T.E.

Orders for building materials must be made and four to five quotes collected in order to compare costs. Additionally, funds must be approved for the work and materials. 

The quality of materials and workmanship must also be considered.

“The employees who work in this building are aware of the process for projects of the government. You can’t just ask for something to be fixed and it will be fixed. There is a process,” said Lauano.

“We have to compare costs and gather four to five quotations and check that the quality is good. We can’t just hire any contractor from kua [rural villages] to come and do the work. We need work with proven quality.” 

Lauano has been managing the 10-year-old T.A.T.T.E. building for nearly three years. 

“We do receive some complaints but it is very rare,” he said. 

“No one sent me any complaints recently asking for repairs. I have not received any recent calls or emails.” 

The missing elevator buttons were replaced by a local contractor, who also installed the elevators when the building was constructed 10 years ago, said Lauano.

Repairs are ongoing around the building. For air conditioner units, maintenance staff is currently working on stocking up on spare parts for the units. 

Some repairs have been made on water-stained parts of the ceilings. The water leaks originate from the faulty air conditioner units.

Lauano invites employees who work at T.A.T.T.E. to visit him at his office on the first floor of the building to voice their concerns about repairs needed in or near their offices.

He asked T.A.T.T.E. workers to be mindful that COVID-19 has slowed shipments into Samoa which are partly to blame for delayed repairs.