The executive director of the Construction Foundation, Carlos Mineiro Aires, told Lusa: "I understand that the Government is concerned about the capacity of Portuguese companies when it has to carry out an investment of 50 billion euros in public works in a relatively short period of time. But the question was posed the other way around".

"First, they should have spoken with national companies," because these "have the capacity" for construction and "are gaining strength" to compete for the major projects that the Government intends to launch, such as the new Lisbon airport, the third Tagus crossing, the high-speed rail lines, hospitals, and housing, he stated.

The head of the new Construction Foundation, created in October by three professional bodies – economists, architects, and engineers – and by 14 construction, design, and inspection companies, was referring to recent news about contacts between Portuguese government officials and companies with Turkish and Chinese capital to promote investments planned for Portugal in the coming years.

In October, a mission of Turkish construction entrepreneurs came to Portugal, with the support of the Secretary of State for Infrastructure and AICEP, after the Secretary of State himself, Hugo Espírito Santo, and the Minister of Infrastructure, Miguel Pinto Luz, were in Turkey in August.

“Partnerships”

Last week, during a visit to the Portuguese Association of Designers and Consultants (APPC), Hugo Espírito Santo said, as quoted by the newspaper Expresso, that Portuguese companies should "partner" with international companies, and that the country needs "larger construction companies capable of undertaking these projects, which are risky projects."

"Portuguese companies have always worked together with foreign companies," recalled Mineiro Aires, stating that it is desirable that "the leadership of any consortium, of any contract, should always be Portuguese."

Criticising the Government for not considering this possibility, he explained that "foreign companies bring nothing, nor do they hire Portuguese engineers. They only acquire the bare minimum" for the project.

Furthermore, "they engage in dumping" and "try to find justifications to revise prices, which translates into increased costs and project delays."

“Workforce”

For the executive director of the Construction Foundation, the biggest problem in the sector "is, without a doubt, the lack of manpower." One of the Foundation's objectives is precisely to "train a skilled workforce."

Recalling that the financial crisis destroyed approximately 350,000 construction jobs in Portugal, the official pointed to a current shortage "of around 50,000 workers, more or less skilled."

"There is also a shortage of engineers, middle managers, and site foremen, who are of immense value," he added.

The solution is to "recruit workers who emigrated during the crisis," paying them "sufficiently attractive salaries" and, simultaneously, "structuring a migratory flow with the PALOP countries and Brazil."

"Without prejudice to resorting to other nationalities, we have a vast market where our language is spoken and where recruitment is easier," argued the former president, referring to Portuguese-speaking countries.

Restrictions

The recent restrictions on the entry of immigrants into Portugal are viewed with concern. "We went from 80 to eight, and this, along with hate speech, will discourage people from coming to Portugal." But "it's unrealistic to think that if we turn off the 'tap,' the country will continue to grow," he added.

Another problem in the sector is bidding, with the executive director of the Construction Foundation advocating for a broad legal review or even the publication of a new code, since the current one, although it has been the subject of 15 revisions, still functions as "a stranglehold," causing "a lot of fighting and irreparable delays."

"My worthy, competent, and knowledgeable engineering colleagues, who are in charge of the project owners, are inhibited if they don't choose the cheapest proposal," he quipped, explaining that "if someone awards a project to the third-placed bidder because they are the best and won't try to arrange more work, they risk appearing on the front page of the newspaper, accused of corruption and shady deals."

According to Mineiro Aires, "this has to be countered," because "whoever doesn't have profit margins can't pay workers well."

“Rushed” projects

Another consequence is that "the projects are losing quality due to haste. To avoid losing funds, everything is rushed, resulting in weak projects and poor prices. "These are weaknesses that must be combated."

The Construction Foundation, created with an initial endowment of €283,000, intends to launch a Construction Observatory to provide relevant information about the activity in Portugal, namely on public tenders, awards, prices, deadlines, type of companies, consumption, number of workers, and salary levels, among others.

Mineiro Aires further explains that the Foundation intends to "contribute to society" and "improve the perception of what national engineering is, what the country's problems are, and what the problems of construction are."

"We are in an open space, in open competition, but it is necessary to defend national engineering," he said.

Stating that he intends to "partner with sector associations and work together with all actors and stakeholders in the construction area," he does not hide his desire to interact with the Government in decision-making.

"There are matters on which we can contribute to help the Government make better decisions," he added.