The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A former Bahamian Contractors Association (BCA) president yesterday warned against “draconian measures” post-Dorian that could increase building costs by between ten to 20 percent.

Stephen Wrinkle told Tribune Business that the government should instead focus on “low hanging fruit”, such as enforcement of the existing Bahamas Building Code and implementation of the Construction Contractors Act, before making major regulatory changes that could “inhibit” the industry and wider economy.

In particular, he warned that the failure to implement an Act that will introduce a licensing and certification regime for Bahamian contractors was a potential “recipe for disaster” for the post-Dorian reconstruction process.

Without such a self-regulatory system in place, Mr Wrinkle voiced fears that the “mammoth” rebuilding effort in Abaco especially could be compromised because there would be no control over the participation of unqualified contractors in the process.

Acknowledging that the severity of the destruction would inevitably spark discussions about Building Code reforms and increase construction costs for current and future new-builds, the ex-BCA chief said The Bahamas needed to examine what was “feasible” and strike a balance that did not price homeowners and developers out of the market.

“It’s going to make it more expensive, no question about it,” Mr Wrinkle said of Dorian’s construction industry fall-out. “I think further study is going to be required on that to see which buildings there was a tremendous amount of devastation, we know - but some withstood better than others. It maybe that some information can be gained from that before we make a decision.

“We’re going to have to look at our structures, adherence to the existing code because a lot of people don’t do that, and improving the code in a feasible manner. It’s a difficult situation, but we’re undoubtedly going to have more hurricanes.

“The cost of living in hurricane zones is going to get a little more expensive, and when the wind blows at 200 miles per hour I’m not sure what structure could stand up to that.”

Mr Wrinkle argued that further strengthening of the Building Code did not necessarily equate to new buildings being able to withstand future storms with the severity and intensity of Dorian. Rather than require everyone to construct “bunkers”, he suggested a “first step” could be for the Government to build its shelters to a higher standard to ensure Bahamians can access a “refuge”.

Construction location was also key, with Mr Wrinkle citing the Florida Keys as an example. All properties there have to be built some 14 feet above the mean high tide mark, using stilts and concrete pilings to protect them from flooding and storm surges, and the ex-BCA chief said The Bahamas may now require similar for building on the coast or low-lying land.

“I don’t think the economy can take a hit from increasing the Building Code substantially,” he told Tribune Business. “There may be some modifications in areas that we can work on, but to say revamp the Building Code is a tough call.

“There’s lots of options available, low hanging fruit so to speak, before taking draconian measures that inhibit the construction industry going forward You can tie up the loose ends, licence contractors. ... Compliance is a big part of it. Now people have been exposed to a tragedy of this scope, many are going to be a lot more receptive to complying with the code.

“There’s a lot of short-cutting in the islands, and people feel it’s OK, but they’re not going to look at it that way any more. Make sure there’s code compliance, contractors are licensed, and someone is held accountable for the product. Who’s held accountable today? Nobody.”

Asked how much new-build construction costs may increase post-Dorian, Mr Wrinkle replied: “It’s hard to say, but 10 to 20 percent would be within the realm. If there’s compliance with the existing Building Code you’ve got a good chance of surviving most storms, but when you get up to 200 miles per hour all bets are off.”

He urged the Government and industry to make the construction industry’s long-awaited self-regulation a reality immediately via the appointment of the Board to oversee the Construction Contractors Act, otherwise post-Dorian rebuilding could be compromised by contractors performing work they are not qualified to do.

“Moving forward with this mammoth reconstruction is a recipe for disaster if we do not have the Board in place to license and regulate these contractors,” Mr Wrinkle told Tribune Business. “How do they expect to rebuild a major city without that in place? Without it you have no control.

“It means the city [Marsh Harbour] could be rebuilt by people not qualified to do the work. We’re all going to pay for this. I can’t emphasise enough the need to get that Act activated and the regulations in place.”

Both Desmond Bannister, minister of works, and Michael Pratt, current BCA president, told Tribune Business last month that progress was being made in finalising the Board that will oversee the Act. However, Omar Archer, registrar of contractors, this week said the process had gone past the deadline laid out in the Act for the Board to be appointed.

The Construction Contractors Act, when enforced, will introduce a system of licensing and self-regulation where Bahamian contractors are certified according to their qualifications, as well as the scale and scope of work they are capable of undertaking.

This is designed to place them on a “level playing field” with foreign contractors, enabling them to better compete for foreign multi-million dollar contracts on foreign direct investment (FDI) projects that come to The Bahamas because their capabilities are certified.​