Construction: professionals knock on the door of the Head of Government

Going through a difficult situation, the professionals of the BTP intend to seize the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, to assert their claims. A decision taken at the meeting of members of the National Federation of Building and Public Works, which took place Thursday in Rabat. A meeting agitated by heated debates between business leaders who rushed by dozens to Rabat to make their grievances to the Bureau of the FNBTP. For most of them, they begin to feel the effects of the crisis of Covid-19 and the rise in prices of raw materials that have soared, thus impacting their cash flow. Many companies have had to stop their work due to lack of working capital.

The members of the Federation have demanded a meeting with the Head of Government as several ministerial departments are concerned by the public contracts awarded to companies in the sector.  
As the majority of companies are struggling to bear the rising cost of raw materials such as steel and concrete, many of them are asking for a price revision. This measure consists in revising the contracts concluded with the administrations concerning the public building sites to revise the awarded amounts by taking into account the increase of the prices of raw materials. This derogation can only be possible if the government agrees to consider the current health crisis and inflation as force majeure. This is one of the main demands of the federation, which also claims the possibility of an amicable termination of contracts with companies unable to continue their work and thus fulfill their contractual commitments, and this, without penalties.

Indeed, the Ministry of Equipment and Water has increased the investment budget by 20% to assist the construction sector through public ordering. During an information day on the projected programs of the markets of Building and Public Works (BTP), the Minister, Nizar Baraka, announced a budget of 47 billion dirhams of investments planned in 2022. An envelope intended to boost the sector. The Minister also announced several accompanying measures such as the improvement and establishment of a reference system of prices of services, the revision of prices as claimed by professionals, with an improvement in time.