Cabinet spokesman Maurice Merchant says the government has held what contractors described as a “historic” high-level meeting with 14 local builders, launching a series of structural changes aimed at modernizing the construction sector and improving local firms’ competitiveness.
Merchant said the meeting, held on Wednesday, brought together the Prime Minister, Works Minister Maria Bird Browne, senior Works Ministry officials and a cross-section of contractors for “candid engagement” on longstanding problems in the industry .
According to Merchant, contractors welcomed the government’s decision to directly engage them and said collaboration of this kind was “essential for building a stronger local industry.” They also credited the Works Ministry for improvements in communication, organization and payment consistency since Minister Browne took over the portfolio .
Merchant said Prime Minister Gaston Browne acknowledged that the sector has faced persistent challenges for decades, including cash-flow limitations, cost overruns, chronic delays, reputational concerns, and weak business and project-management practices. The Prime Minister told the group the government wants local contractors to be “fully empowered” and capable of operating at the highest professional level, but said modernization is necessary to meet national timelines and budget requirements .
As part of the reforms, Merchant announced that the Ministry of Works will establish a Contractor Support Unit to help firms prepare bids, improve costing, strengthen administrative systems, access technical support and obtain training aligned with international standards. The unit will also help prepare local companies for upcoming major tenders, including projects to be financed by the Caribbean Development Bank in Barbuda .
Merchant said the ministry will hold its first bid-preparation workshop on Monday at the John E. St. Luce Centre as part of the rollout. “This new unit will help contractors in bid preparation, costing assistance, technical and administrative support, business development training, and skills upgrades,” he said .
He also announced that the Cabinet reaffirmed a commitment to more timely payments, noting that predictable cash flow is critical for contractors’ ability to perform. In addition, the government will promote joint contracting arrangements between local firms and established regional or international companies to support knowledge transfer, strengthen management capacity and improve access to working capital .
Merchant said Wednesday’s session is the first in a series. The Cabinet will meet additional contractors in the coming weeks and will also begin sector consultations with farmers and supermarket operators.
He said both the government and the contractors agreed that the meeting marked “a significant step toward building a more competitive, modern, and resilient construction sector” in Antigua and Barbuda .
