Dec 5th, 2018 | BEAAP to meet to discuss growth opportunities
The members of Bahamas Engineers, Architects and Allied Professionals (BEAAP) will convene at the British Colonial Hilton tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. to discuss how they can improve opportunities to sustain growth in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry.
“In the current environment, foreign consultants such as engineers and architects benefit from the lion’s share of fees earned in The Bahamas, specifically as it relates to foreign direct investment projects, but the overall liability rests on the Bahamians, who ultimately sign off on these projects” said BEAAP Chair Sonia Brown.
Brown added: “We have had some very promising meetings with relevant government agencies and believe that the forum provides a unique opportunity for private entities and government gatekeepers to dialogue regarding how we can improve the industry.We are of the view that, in the same way that the government of The Bahamas dictates a minimum representation of construction workers on job sites by sometimes literally visiting such sites and counting heads, similarly investors should be asked to identify what percentage of the highly skilled consulting work is being handled by Bahamian firms, a figure we believe to be in the tens of millions of dollars annually. Much of this work bypasses consulting firms that are licensed to conduct business in The Bahamas. In fact, this revenue does not even hit the local economy, as the transactions take place overseas.
“More importantly we don’t just practice here. We live here. Architectural and engineering decisions affect the health and safety of the public. As Bahamian professionals, we are fully invested in ensuring that international standards are adhered to.”
The BEAAP references the Annual Building Construction Statistics Report 2017 prepared by the Department of Statistics and notes that it evidences that hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on the construction industry annually, and it extrapolates that potential fee earnings are in the tens of millions of dollars.