The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamian Contractors Association's (BCA) president yesterday called for proof that 150 local contractors are currently employed at The Pointe, expressing scepticism over that figure.

Leonard Sands, emphasising that he was not criticising China Construction America (CCA), the project's developer, told Tribune Business that the figure "has to have been a typo or grammatical error" given how the industry operates and The Pointe's stage of development.

Expressing confidence in the Government's ability to enforce the project's 70/30 labour ratio in favour of Bahamians, Mr Sands said the BCA intended to be "very active as a watchdog" in ensuring local companies and tradespeople benefited from the $200 million investment.

He revealed that the Association now plans to reach out to Dion Foulkes, minister of labour, to obtain copies of the monthly labour reports that investors typically file with the Government on projects of The Pointe's magnitude.

This, Mr Sands explained, would enable the BCA to advise developers and the Government on how they could meet their construction needs through the local industry. He added that there was "nothing more we want" than to become an adviser to the Government on this issue.

"It is good if what is communicated and reported in the press is what the situation is," the BCA president told Tribune Business on Bahamian involvement at The Pointe.

"I think, however, we need to find out more details on that number saying 150 contractors are engaged on the project. I think that has to have been a typo or grammatical error."

Daniel Liu, The Pointe's president and a CCA vice-president, told the Prime Minister and his Cabinet during a Monday tour of the project that 150 contractors have been hired thus far, with Bahamians comprising one-third of its professional management team. Some 58 Bahamians have worked at the downtown Nassau construction site this year.

Mr Sands, though, focused on the '150 contractors' number, suggesting that with the global construction industry accepted as having 22 divisions, this meant The Pointe had hired an average of seven contractors per division.

He implied that this made little sense, given that The Pointe had only just moved beyond the foundation stage by placing vertical pilings in the ground, meaning there was no need for electrical contractors at this stage.

"I'm not saying they're wrong," he told Tribune Business, "but it would be good to identify those contractors, and the BCA will celebrate them if they have been hired.

"The contractor ratio requires further clarity. We'd like to sit down with those contractors, and ask what they see as the future of this project. It would be good to support that number with the names of the companies contracted. If that's accurate, that's a wonderful thing for contractors in an industry that's seen better days. Let's get some documents to support that."

Concerns have frequently been expressed about the opportunities open to Bahamian construction companies and workers at The Pointe, with the project adjacent to the British Colonial Hilton seemingly relying heavily on a Chinese-dominated workforce.

Mr Sands and the BCA have frequently called for meetings with the Government and CCA to see how their members, and the wider industry, could become more involved and thereby keep more of the economic impact within the Bahamas.

The BCA president yesterday said he had "no reason to doubt" the Government's commitment to The Pointe's 70/30 labour ratio weighted in favour of Bahamians, and said public pressure - with an unemployment rate higher than 10 per cent - was the best guarantee of this.

"The BCA is very happy with that ratio, and we'll be very active as a watchdog to ensure that number in the Heads of Agreement is maintained so everybody gets an opportunity on this wonderful project," Mr Sands told Tribune Business. "It's a great project."

He added that enforcement would not be complicated so long as the Government typically receives the labour reports typically supplied to it on major foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in the Bahamas.

"We haven't yet seen it or been advised of the labour reports," Mr Sands said, but we're going to make a communication to the Minister [Dion Foulkes] and his office asking to see those documents in the coming days.

"Those are critical. We have to know what they [developers] need, and will absolutely help them supply their needs. We want an opportunity to advise the Government and help where we can.

"There's nothing more we want. If we do that job effectively, it means contractors and members will get opportunities and more economic benefits. It will ensure contractors take money from these projects that stay in this economy. That's a win-win for all."