IMAJ urges Gov’t to build bridge to consultation on NaRRA bill
Published:Thursday | April 23, 2026 | 11:09 AMSashana Small/Staff Reporter
The Incorporated Masterbuilders Association of Jamaica (IMAJ) is raising concerns over what it describes as a lack of consultation with local contractors in the establishment of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), the agency tasked to lead Jamaica’s post-hurricane reconstruction.
“I think it will be a critical component that they consult with local suppliers, local stakeholders, so that we can make, we can ensure, that there are adequate resources that we can put ourselves in a position to respond to what will be required of us,” Richard Mullings, president of the IMAJ, told The Gleaner.
He disclosed that the association previously shared its concerns over NaRRA with the Government at the onset, but has yet to be engaged in any “genuine” consultation on the matter, even now as the bill to govern the authority is being debated in Parliament.
“When it initially came up, there were specific concerns around procurement, transparency, local participation, which is related to what we’re talking about now in terms of how we prepare ourselves to meet an increase in demand,” he said.
SKILLS TRANSFER
He also raised concerns around issues of skills transfer.
“If we’re going to bring people from overseas to help us rebuild, it must at the same time be enabling the people here to take over and to do more over time, since it is not going to be an overnight process,” he added.
Mullings’ disquiet reiterated that raised in a statement by the IMAJ earlier this month, which highlighted gaps in the bill, and cast doubt on whether the NaRRA could deliver its established purpose.
It highlighted that the bill did not outline how the local industry will participate. Further, there were no details around how projects will be packaged to allow Jamaican contractors to compete. It stated that there was also no information about apprenticeship and training requirements.
Additionally, the IMAJ argued that the bill did not indicate any provisions for domestic material sourcing, nor did it acknowledge chronic payment delays, which impact the sector’s capacity.
“A reconstruction statute that creates demand without addressing the supply-side realities, labour shortages, material constraints, bonding capacity being tied up, and late payment squeezing cash flow, risks producing exactly the outcome Jamaica should avoid: foreign-dominated emergency contracting, limited domestic capacity growth, and weak economic returns for Jamaican workers and firms,” the IMAJ said.
It further raised alarm that the bill contains no mechanism for setting, enforcing, or verifying the resilience standards that would make “build back better” more than a slogan. It stressed that the bill refers to climate resilience in general terms but does not say who sets the standards, how compliance is checked, or what happens when projects fall short.
Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness tabled the bill to establish NaRRA in Parliament last month during his contribution to the Budget Debate.
The NaRRA was announced in November last year following Hurricane Melissa.
The NaRRA allows the authority to consolidate and prioritise projects, procure goods, works and services, establish project tracking systems, and include climate resilience standards in programmes and plans. It also requires a public register of approved projects, annual reporting, audited accounts, and eventual dissolution.
“NaRRA is not only about project delivery, but also about connecting projects to create new economic opportunities in areas affected by the disaster and to drive rapid economic expansion,” Holness said in announcing the tabling of the bill.
Lawmakers are currently debating the bill, with the Opposition People’s National Party’s legislators arguing that it lacks oversight and transparency.
In Parliament on Tuesday, Opposition Leader Mark Golding pointed to a section in the legislation which would allow NaRRA to enter into any transaction which it deems will ensure it performs its functions.
“That effectively means that the CEO can unilaterally decide the scope and boundaries of its activities, because the CEO is the only required employee. There will be other employees, but the CEO is the only person who has real authority under this legislation within the construct of NaRRA itself,” he said.
He also argued that the law is not clear as to who the CEO will report to, which, he said, raises questions about management and governance.
“It says in Section 10 that NaRRA reports to the prime minister, but there is nothing about the CEO’s reporting responsibility,” Golding stated.
Opposition legislator Peter Bunting described the bill as a “a blank cheque without guard rails”, while government legislator Marlene Malahoo Forte stated that the bill “needs some reworking”.
In the meantime, while reaffirming its commitment to rebuilding Jamaica, the IMAJ stated that legislation to govern this should not “treat contractors as an afterthought”, and called for Parliament to amend the legislation before it is passed.
“Jamaica does not merely need a faster authority. It needs a better-designed authority, one that is transparent by statute, accountable in real time, grounded in enforceable standards, and deliberately structured to build local capacity while it rebuilds national infrastructure.”