Last year, 12 environmental impact studies were submitted in Central American countries for construction projects of buildings to be used by government institutions, files that together amount to an estimated investment of $140 million.
The interactive platform "Construction in Central America", from CentralAmericaData's Business Intelligence Area, provides an updated list of public and private construction projects that have submitted environmental impact studies (EIA) to the respective institutions in each country.
During 2020, it is estimated that the average price of a ton of steel increased 19%, a rise that impacts the construction industry and is explained by the increase in logistics costs and the suspension of the extraction of the material due to the outbreak of covid-19.
Central American businessmen report that during last year, which was marked by the sanitary and economic crisis, the average price per ton of steel increased by $130, going from $670 to $800.
In 2019, 426 environmental impact studies were submitted to develop condominiums, apartment buildings and other housing projects in Central American countries.
The interactive platform "Construction in Central America", of the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, includes an up-to-date list of public and private construction projects that present environmental impact studies (EIS) to the respective institutions in each country.
The Legislative Assembly approved in second debate a bill that aims to tax in the country the sale and self-consumption of imported or locally produced cement.
The initiative, which was approved in the first debate in the Assembly in mid-February and is still pending approval by the Executive Branch, establishes that the tax will be on imported cement produced nationally, in bags or in bulk, for sale or self-consumption, of any kind, whose destination is the consumption and marketing of the product nationally.
The prices of construction materials in Nicaragua have reported increases in recent months, but because of the crisis in which the country finds itself, businessmen have chosen to assume these costs and not pass them on to customers.
The costs of metals and electricity and lighting, during the fifth month of the year explained the 8% year-on-year rise in prices of construction materials.
The statistics of the Price Index of Construction Materials (IPMC) corresponding to May 2019, specify that a 7.6% year-on-year growth was reported regarding May of the previous year (8.6% in April 2019 and 8.9% in May 2018), indicates the report of the Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN).
The costs of wood and roofs, and metals and derivatives, explained during the third month of the year the 14% year-on-year increase in the prices of construction materials in Nicaragua.
The results show that the Index of Prices of Construction Materials (IPMC) registered a 13.8% year-on-year growth with respect to March of the previous year (9.6% in February 2019 and 8.6% in March 2018), informed the Central Bank of Nicaragua.
The costs of wood and roofs, and metals and derivatives, explained during the second month of the year the 10% year-on-year increase in the prices of construction materials in Nicaragua.
The statistics of the Price Index of Construction Materials (IPMC) corresponding to February 2019, indicate that the IPMC registered a 9.6% year-on-year growth regarding the same month of the previous year, variation greater than the 8.4% reported in February 2018, informed the Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN).
Because of flaws in the estimates of costs of the work, in Costa Rica the Comptroller's Office declared unviable the tender to build a sports center, supposedly valued at $40 million.
In July 2016, the Solis administration announced explicitly that they were preparing to tender, at the beginning of 2017, the construction of a 25,000 square meter aquatic center and a 36,000 square meter sports center in San José, for a total cost of $40 million.
Because of the behavior of the costs of timber and roofs, in Nicaragua the prices of construction materials registered a 13% increase in January with respect to the same period in 2018.
In the five chapters comprising the aggregate of the Index of Prices of Construction Materials (IPMC) increases were registered in January, with the greatest variation recorded in the chapter of timber and roofs (21.9%), followed by metals and derivatives (17.0%), electricity and lighting (7.2%), cement and derivatives (5.6%), and sanitary and flooring (5.1%), reported the Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN).
In the third quarter of 2018, the effectively constructed area fell 14% with respect to the same period in 2017, as a result of the 17% decrease in residential construction.
The Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN) reported that from July to September last year the area effectively built in Managua showed a 17.9% decrease while in other cities the decrease was 7.7%.
Because of the behavior of the costs of electrical materials, at the end of last year in Nicaragua the prices of construction materials registered a 12% increase with respect to December 2017.
The Central Bank of Nicaragua reports that "... The results indicate that the Construction Materials Price Index (CPI) registered a 1.0 percent variation with respect to the previous month and a 12.2 percent variation with respect to December of the previous year (4.0% year-on-year variation in December 2017).
In Nicaragua, the Building Materials Price Index recorded an increase of almost 10% during October compared to the same month in 2017.
The Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN) reported that the Building Materials Price Index (CPI) registered a 9.9 percent year-on-year growth compared to October of the previous year (8.8% registered in September 2018 and 3.7% in October 2017).
In accordance with the behavior of the last months, in Nicaragua the Construction Materials Price Index registered an increase of almost 9% in September with respect to the same month in 2017.
The Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN) reported that the Construction Materials Price Index (CPI) experienced a year-on-year growth of 8.8 percent compared to September of the previous year (9.6% August 2018 and 2.4% September 2017).
After reporting a year-on-year growth of 9% up to May, in June in Nicaragua the Construction Materials Price Index registered a 10% increase.
The Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN) reported that the Construction Materials Price Index (IPMC) corresponding to June 2018 showed that it recorded a year-on-year growth of 9.8 percent compared to June of the previous year (9.1% in May 2018 and 0.1 % June 2017).