Govt to implement framework to track project efficiency – CHPA CEO

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA), Dr Martin Pertab on Friday conducted a series of site visits to several project locations along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway and the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) corridor to assess the progress of ongoing works. According to Dr Pertab, these visits form part of the Ministry’s broader mandate to ensure efficiency and accountability in all housing and infrastructure projects under its purview.

“The purpose is to ensure efficiency in the system on the project site. I want to stress efficiency, given the highest workload we have ahead of us,” Dr Pertab stated. “While there is heavy emphasis on efficiency, we would not sacrifice efficiency for quality.” The CEO emphasised that the Authority will continue to conduct routine monitoring visits, particularly to major contracts deemed as springboard projects — those that, once completed, will unlock access to new lands and accelerate the Ministry’s goal of expanding affordable housing opportunities across the country.

Highlighting the importance of improved project management, Dr Pertab disclosed that the CHPA is developing a real-time project tracking system. This system will allow the agency to monitor the progress of construction and infrastructure projects more closely, ensuring early detection of potential delays. “We are working on systems that will allow us to track progress in real time. This will include details such as contractors’ names, their projects, and daily updates. From our end, we must have a hands-on approach of how things are progressing, especially in the area of home construction and infrastructure development,” he explained.
Dr Pertab noted that the new monitoring framework will also support the Ministry’s ambitious target of constructing approximately 8,000 homes per year, as part of the wider national housing agenda. He further underscored the need for collaboration with other Government agencies to conduct background checks and enhance due diligence before the awarding of contracts. “Since our focus is on efficiency and the timely delivery of projects, we may eventually need to engage our sister agencies to obtain information on contractors’ performance before awarding new contracts. We must adopt a zero-tolerance approach to inefficiency if we are to successfully achieve our mandate.” Dr Pertab affirmed.
The Housing Ministry’s CHPA continues to play a central role in fulfilling the Government’s commitment to delivering quality, affordable housing and expanding infrastructure to support sustainable community development across Guyana.