–platform to be operational by June 2023

THE Ministry of Housing and Water through the Central Housing and Planning Authority, on Wednesday, awarded a contract for the development of a single-window Information Technology Platform for planning and building permits.

The contract amounting to $202,918,036 was awarded to Global Services which is a consortium of companies based in Guyana, North America and the United Arab Emirates.

The company was successful after a national competitive bidding process, during which six companies were shortlisted.

In his address at a signing ceremony at the Ministry of Housing and Water’s boardroom, senior subject minister, Collin Croal, said that this is a historic project which sees the ease of doing business, as contractors and others will be able to use the system to seek approval from all relevant agencies through this single window.

He related that this is testimony that when the government speaks of transformation it is not just about transformation from a physical perspective.

Croal said that it was just a few weeks ago that a single window bill was laid in the National Assembly, signalling the government’s commitment to ensuring that they could change the way business is done and the environment in which it is done.

“The point to note in all of that is that here you have an example of what it means for more transparency and accountability,” the minister said, adding that throughout the process, at every stage, there was accountability in terms of responding.

With this, Minister Croal related that the single agency that persons have to come to is the CH&PA’s planning department.

As part of the single-window system, there will be server and network infrastructure along with security solutions and hardware and software maintenance and repair.

Meanwhile, Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues said too that the project is a truly transformational initiative for the ease of doing business in the country.

She added that anyone that has undertaken a construction project has been through the process of having to go to the City Council or Neighbourhood Democratic Council, then to the CH&PA and later to the Environmental Protection Agency and several other agencies.

“So, this tremendously eases that process of doing business where you will present your completed application at a single window and that is what this IT solution will facilitate; an applicant dropping in or signing up online or in person because we will have a hybrid system in the beginning,” the minister said.

Additionally, Rodrigues related that this is not only important to facilitate the ease of doing business, but it is also important to the government for transparency and accountability.

She detailed that the unique feature of the system is that it is time bound. There will be timelines set for all agencies to respond to applications when it is in the system, and, as such, if there is no response within that particular time, the approval will be deemed to be granted.

She went on to add that this is part of the removal of any subjectivity from the system, among other things.

“It also removes any form of corruption from the system, because you do not have to fear that your application will be in this system for any delayed amount of time,” Minister Rodrigues remarked.

To this end, she told those gathered at the signing ceremony that there is predictability and certainty in this system in knowing that the applications will be addressed.

Rodrigues said that whether denied or approved there is at least the assurance that the application will be responded to.

However, she noted that while “teething problems” can be expected at the beginning of the roll out, the ministry anticipates a smooth transition to this IT system as early as June 2023.