Recognition for construction sector

The Sri Lankan construction industry is going places. While many projects in Sri Lanka itself have been awarded to foreign firms overlooking the construction talent pool available here, Qatar has recognised Sri Lankan expertise in this sector.

The QR 439 million contract signed with Qatar to build 345 residential villas signifies a new chapter in the history of the Lankan construction industry.

Among the other projects planned are the construction of 15,000 houses and an 80 Km access road. Apart from generating overseas employment, this will also earn a considerable quantum of foreign exchange.

This is a landmark event because Sri Lanka was primarily known in the Middle East region as an exporter of unskilled labour. Now this picture is gradually changing as more skilled workers and professionals go the Middle East. This, however, is the first time that a Sri Lankan industry as a whole is venturing outside Lanka's shores.

The message from Qatar is that Sri Lanka's construction sector is second to none. Qatar could have opted for a well-known multinational construction company or a building firm from a developed country, but it has reposed confidence in Sri Lankans' ability to deliver world-class building solutions.

The Sri Lankan construction sector should use this opportunity as a launching pad to venture into mega construction projects in the region.

Practically every country in Asia is witnessing an unprecedented construction boom. The rapid rate at which new condominiums and commercial complexes are coming up in Sri Lanka is indicative of this trend. Our construction industry is thus ideally suited to take advantage of this huge demand.

Once this project gets underway, it will serve as an advertisement for the Lankan construction industry in the Gulf region. It should also consider having road shows in major capitals of the world (a similar exercise was undertaken for oil exploration).

This should also enable Sri Lankan architects to 'export' their talents. The late Geoffrey Bawa is known around the world for his daring designs. There are many emerging architects and architectural firms who could press for more recognition worldwide if given more encouragement. In fact, architectural and quantity surveying industries should be part and parcel of the thrust by the construction industry to win worldwide contracts.

This should be a pro-active exercise on their part. The Qatar project was more or less a bilateral agreement, but it should not always be so. Lankan construction consortia should scan worldwide tenders and contracts and bid where possible. Winning a few more overseas contracts will be another feather in the construction industry's cap.

It is also time that Sri Lankan invited its expatriate engineers, architects and other construction professionals to serve their Motherland. They have accumulated a wealth of experience abroad which can be used to infuse more professionalism and knowledge to the local construction sector.

At a time when even foreign countries have recognised the capabilities of our construction sector, it is somewhat disheartening to see that some construction projects in Sri Lanka have been awarded to foreign companies without even calling for bids from local ones.

True, it is not possible to bar foreign companies from competing for local projects in an open economic environment, but there should be a mechanism to ensure that local companies too get a fair share of the construction pie.