TOR for Marawi rehab projects will be “Design and Build”

• Source: http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2018/11/tor-for-marawi-rehab-projects-will-be-design-and-build/
• Monday, November 5, 2018

By Carolyn O. Arguillas (MindaNews)

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews) – The terms of reference for the Marawi rehabilitation projects will be “design and build,” the National Housing Authority (NHA), the implementing agency said, raising concerns from local contractors.

At the Consultation Conference with Local Executives and Contractors on the “Implementation of the Different Housing and infrastructure Projects in the Most Affected Area” at Limketkai Luxe Hotel here late Tuesday afternoon, hours after the groundbreaking in Marawi City, a contractor stood up to say most of them are small contractors and would definitely not qualify, that they would need to hire design engineers to qualify.

“Hindi po kami sanay sa design although pwede kami sa mga roads but we have to hire highway design engineers, building designers” (We are not used to design although we can do roads but we have to hire highway design engineers, building engineers), the contractor said. He asked the NHA if they have a way of involving the small contractors because in the design and build scheme, “baka tatlo lang ang mag-qualify. Karamihan po puro maliliit” (maybe only three will qualify. Most are small).

Escalada explained that the approach for Marawi rehab would not be on contracting partnerships but on the developer concept. “You help us out because we want as much as possible a better and more reflective of a design or a concept that will be able to represent Marawi.”

He said the NHA has its own housing and technical department and “we can design for you but the thing is, again those designs have been subjected to several criticisms (such as) ‘ano ba yang design para mang Ayala, para mang Makati. All we need is the simplicity of Marawi. We don’t need the Makati, we just want Marawi back.’”

He said some are used to contracting with government agencies that already have prepared plans and designs such as school buildings, etc. but “here is the challenge: in the design and build, you can also contract a designer outside your own limitation. I-factor lang yan as a component of the project cost na yan. Di naman libre yan.”

He cited as example the construction of a school or the Grand Padian (central market) in the MAA, that it must “reflect the virtues, values of Meranaw so you ask somebody to design for you, pagkatpos paid item siya.”

“All of this is subject to negotiation, even the pricing. Give us the right price because our price is also negotiable. We have standards to follow sa NHA, we have certain square meters, kung parking garage yan, kung building yan, kung horizontal yan, kung vertical yan, we have standards per square meier but again it will all depend upon your design. Kung design maganda naman we are negiotiating,” he said.

He also explained that it will be a turnkey project “which may not be very strict in terms of project completion because ang sabi namin, for a turnkey project, it has to be paid at the end of the project. Here, if there are completed components of the project, NHA will pay.”

If they get the project on the 24 barangay halls with madrash, NHA will not wait for the completion of the 24 to pay them, Escalada said. “Kung makatapos ka ng lima, apat (If you finish five, four), then we will pay you. That is the completed component project.”

Escalada urged them not to worry about their limitations.

“Don’t worry about your limitation to design. You can contract a design engineer, an architect, design it and make it as a paid component or paid item in our own negotiation,” he said.