- Eighty-five building companies appointed to a new State-wide builders panel to expedite the supply of social housing across the State
- Businesses are now pre-approved to deliver social housing
- Delivers on McGowan Government commitment to cut red tape for small, medium and large companies, making it easier to do business with Government
Housing Minister John Carey has today announced the establishment of a State-wide Housing Construction and Refurbishment Builders Panel to further accelerate the McGowan Government’s social housing delivery.
The establishment of the panel means new construction and refurbishment projects can now be rapidly contracted as building companies appointed to the new panel are pre-approved to build social housing.
The Expression of Interest process for the panel was launched in July 2022 and received an overwhelming response, with 101 applications received from small, medium, and large companies from both metropolitan and regional Western Australia.
A total of 85 building companies have been appointed, while further construct-only and design-and-construct opportunities will be presented to panel members as they arise.
To encourage broader industry participation, the Department of Communities undertook a simplified qualification process.
Among those builders appointed or provisionally appointed to the panel, approximately 10 per cent are Indigenous businesses, 36 per cent are regional businesses and 49 per cent are small builders.
The panel will primarily support the delivery of social housing and may be expanded to include other housing programs delivered by the Department of Communities.
As stated by Housing Minister John Carey:
“The establishment of the new State-wide building panel will further accelerate our Government’s delivery of social housing across the State.
“The McGowan Government continues to work proactively with industry to cut red tape and deliver reforms – to support the most vulnerable members of our community.
“This Government has been driving reforms to accelerate the delivery of social housing across Western Australia including through our Timber Frame and Modular Build programs, working to retain ageing social housing properties where possible.
“Since 1 July 2021, the McGowan Government has added 879 social homes throughout Western Australia.
“In addition, more than 950 new social homes are currently under contract or construction.
“The establishment of the panel will also assist these businesses, whether they’re large or small, to build their capacity and benefit from our Government’s major pipeline of work through our investments in social housing.
“With 85 small, medium and large building companies appointed to the panel, this demonstrates that cutting red tape for industry, including introducing a simplified qualifying process, is successful in encouraging broad industry participation.
“Red tape and slow contracting processes can often stall works and this efficient and updated process will mean that we have a resource of builders ready to go to build social housing across Western Australia.
“This is all part of the McGowan Government’s $2.4 billion investment in housing and homelessness services in WA over the next four years, including the delivery of around 3,300 social dwellings as well as refurbishments and maintenance work to many thousands more.”
