Costing for Affordable Housing Construction

Don't forget what and WHO makes a project cost estimate. The bids are supposed to be competitive but we all know it's just a few hands in Jamaica that can put together a costing for a good sized project.
The quantities have to be transparent. But who comes up with the rates? The much-vaunted estimator? These people are so few that they don't even have to be colluding to affect construction prices for most good size projects. If just a few of them lean on each other for professional guidance that's it. Then Jamaica's construction prices are as high as anyone can guess. And who benefits? Who pays the estimator? The developer right? Who's incentives are aligned?
On many big housing projects the developer is also the contractor. So when the costs go sky high, he's made his profit before a single house is sold.
Again, these houses that are listed in the estimate as costing $9 mill and selling for $12 mil, don't cost $3.5 mil to build. Just add up the materials in a house and call any hardware for prices. That's more than 200% markup. Who's getting that, the mason? The carpenter?
GCT is only 16%. Are we focusing on the right source of savings?
-RG
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