Over 60 companies vying for President’s Award at Building Expo

Over 60 companies operating in the local construction industry have been invited to submit entries to the competition for the first-ever President’s Award.

According to Housing Minister Irfaan Ali, the President’s Award is up for grabs at this year’s construction exhibition, which is billed for the weekend of Friday, July 29 to Sunday, August 2.

The Organising Committee of the now annual International Building Exposition introduced this new feature, which would see this year’s show delivering a special award to the most innovative company. According to the coordinators, 69 companies were invited to enter the competition, but, to date, some are yet to respond. These companies are required to send in a video of their innovation, and the winner would be selected by a panel of independent judges.

Minister Ali explained that the competition is for companies that have shown innovation in research and development in the construction industry. “It has been introduced for the company which has the most insight into cost and labour-saving techniques on the local market,” the minister said.

The planning is in its final phase, and already there are over 100 companies signing on, including corporate sponsors.

Coordinators of the event revealed that additional slots were created to accommodate booths, and registration is about to be closed.

Building Expo will be staged at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence, EBD, and exhibitors from Suriname, Trinidad, Jamaica and China are expected to participate. The aim of the exposition is to create a climate of opportunities for the expansion of the building and construction industry in Guyana.

The initiative was born in response to a New Year’s address by President Bharrat Jagdeo which focused on challenging government ministries to be innovative and proactive, and to develop programmes and policies that would revolutionise the way they do business.

The minister believes that the country’s public sector is being transformed in all of the social areas, including health and education, and there are measurable indicators that can demonstrate the progress.

“In Diamond, there is a new school, a new hospital, new banks in one community. That community is an excellent example of the transformation which has occurred, all of which has tremendous impact on the construction sector,” Minister Ali stated.

The International Building Expo provides investment opportunities in products and services for Guyana’s private sector, as well as opportunities for regional and international business entities. Government has been saying that it is interested not merely in the allocation of house lots, but also in facilitating enabling mechanisms to potential homeowners to achieve the objective of building their homes in cost effective ways.