8000 housing units to be made available through PPP initiative – CH&PA

The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) on Thursday launched its Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiative with the aim of delivering over 8000 units to low and moderate-income earners as part of its housing solutions in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) by 2021.
Chief Executive Officer Lelon Saul said the PPP model was aimed at addressing the shortfall in housing units on the supply side, particularly for low to moderate-income families.
He noted that the current rate of delivery was woefully inadequate, adding that there was an urgent need to address the issue of affordability and access to mortgage financing.
“Housing continues to be a mirage for large proportion of ordinary Guyanese despite ongoing initiatives. The current rate of delivery is woefully inadequate. Undoubtedly, there is an urgent need to address the issue of affordability and access to mortgage financing. Current data shows that there is a strong preference for built units and we recognise at the current rate of production we will not be able to address the demand in a timely manner, thus birthed the Public-Private Partnership model,” Saul said.
Saul noted that home ownership would no longer be an elusive dream, highlighting that there were many low to medium-income individuals who were allocated house lots and were yet to commence building.
“Several factors are contributing to this undesirable state. Apart from access to mortgage financing, slothful pace of infrastructural development and low confidence in building contractors are also contributing factors. The Public-Private Partnership model is not touted as the panacea, but in a great way, it will benefit our citizens. Our citizens will benefit from lower cost units, units that are durable, built to international standards, and are constructed in record time,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Minister within the Communities Ministry, Valerie Adams-Yearwood said the Government has embarked on an ambitious plan to provide housing for low-income earners, State employees and young people within the price range of $4 to $10 million.
She further stated that the PPP initiative provided an avenue for the partners and others to become viable partners to contribute to the development of Guyana.
“We carried out a survey and [in] that survey we learnt that more than 9000 have a preference for various types of housing units rather than the house lots and I envisage that the Public-Private Partnership will help us to respond to that demand,” Adams-Yearwood said.
CH&PA Project Manager Omar Narine while providing an overview of the project said in 2016 they conducted market research for potential contractors, consortiums, and financiers to execute infrastructural developmental works, construction of social facilities, and construction of building units.
He noted that following the publishing of an Expression of Interest, they received more than 20 proposals and they would have successfully evaluated seven of those. Narine explained the seven companies have already submitted their design layouts which are being evaluated.
“They (design layouts) are with the Planning Department and they are being reviewed and in the next two to three weeks, we are expected to close that process and head to the next phase of this initiative. The critical information was provided to the private partners,” Narine said.
“The next step is after the design layouts we would be reviewing financial proposals and the different housing options presented by you the partners…after that is the selection of the contract and the best suited one will be selected based on the negotiations at that stage,” he added.
The shortlisted companies are Reno Vess, Namalco, Mohamed Ramit and Sons, Green Heart Tree Energy, Eco Energy, FTM, and China Dillian. (Lakhram Bhagirat)

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