28% of the planned investment in the restoration of the National Theater of Costa Rica will focus on the modernization of theatrical mechanics, artistic lighting and work on the electrical system.
In February 2018, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) reported that it would grant the government of Costa Rica a loan of $31,330,000 to finance the project " Programa Integral de Seguridad y Conservación del Monumento Histórico Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica."
In the first six months of the year, government entities from the countries of the region submitted 73 environmental impact studies for the construction of different public infrastructure projects.
The interactive platform "Construction in Central America", from the Trade Intelligence Area of CentralAmericaData, provides the updated list of public and private construction projects that present the environmental impact studies (EIA) to the respective institutions of each country.
The BCIE will be financing restoration works on the National Theater, which include renovating the electricity system and modernizing the facilities in general.
The Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE) announced that "... financing will allow the development of a program consisting of investments for an active and passive fire protection system, renovation of the electricity system for greater security and modernization of the stage enclosure, mechanization of the stage, sound aspects, lighting aspects and installation of an acoustic shell, in addition to giving independence to the administrative offices and warehouses, excluding them from the main building of the Theater."
The 6-story building to be built in Costa Rica will house the offices of the Central Bank and the superintendencies of the financial sector.
The building, which will be built on a piece of land measuring 18 thousand square meters in Barrio Tournón, Goicoechea, will house 800 employees, and will have a parking lot with capacity for 230 vehicles. The work will start in the first half of 2018.
Plans are underway to build a water treatment plant in the Ancón district of the province of Panama that will include a raw water adduction line and potable water pipeline.
According to the interactive platform "Construction in Central America" complied by CentralAmericaData, the National Aqueduct and Sewer Institute of Panama (Instituto de Acueducto y Alcantarillados Nacionales) submitted an Environmental Impact Study (EIA) to build, in Ancon, a water purification plant that will include an intake point or catchment of raw water from the Chagres River, raw water adduction line to the water treatment plant, and potable water pipeline to Panama City. It will be developed within an easement of up to 20 meters, and an approximate length of 28.5 km.
The trust agreement between the government and Banco de Costa Rica for the implementation of the expansion project of the San Jose-San Ramon road, has received approval from the Comptroller General of the Republic.
The project, indispensable for the development of the northern part of the Great Metropolitan Area, has suffered from years of delay after successive setbacks with concessionaire construction companies, social protests because of the expected rise in tolls and the burdensome compensation paid by the State to these companies.
In Costa Rica entities such as municipalities and school boards have a maximum term of two years to complete the works for which they have received government funding.
The new Law on Efficiency in the Administration of Public Resources, which will enter into force once it has been published in La Gaceta, requires entities that receive government funding to implement projects within two years.
Up to $372 million of the state pension scheme could be invested in public infrastructure projects in Costa Rica.
Funding public works using Costa Rica's national savings funds saw a new and positive development in matters relating to the management of resources in the economy. The Board of Directors of the Costa Rican Department of Social Security approved a policy that allows allocation of up to $375 million of the reserves from the regime for Disability, Old Age and Death (IVM by its initials in Spanish) to be invested in public infrastructure projects, reported Nacion.com.
The project valued at $97 million includes a competition for the design and construction plans, demolition, earthworks, main building, and restoration of other buildings.
From a statement issued by the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica:
San Jose, March 11, 2016. Construction of a new building for the Legislative Assembly will start in the second half of 2016.
In Costa Rica an order has been given to suspend construction of a supervision contract awarded to the state run power company for a road building project, because it is considered outside of its normal tasks.
EDITORIAL
The confluence of interests within the Costa Rican state bureaucratic corporation has allowed for institutional nepotism, by means of direct contracts between state agencies, to be thought of as beneficial to the interests of society. It is in this way that impediments are created to private companies being awarded public works contracts.
A bill has been presented to finance, build, operate and maintain transport infrastructure using trusts.
From the Law project "An Act authorizing the development of transport infrastructure through trusts":
There is a need to rethink the model for financing infrastructure, taking into account the fact that these investments impact on growth expectations for competitiveness.
The Bank of Costa Rica has been selected to hold the trust which will be used to manage the project to expand the highway between the capital and the city of San Ramon, which will cost approximately $500 million.
The extension of this road is a long-standing project, and has faced a host of problems, including the cancellation of the initial concession of the work, which involved a payment of $35 million to the Brazilian construction firm OAS, which in turn had bought the contract from Autopistas del Valle.
Consideration is being given to the possibility of using resources from the country's main pension fund to finance public infrastructure construction works.
The plan developed by Pensions Manager at the Costa Rican Social Security Department (CCSS) also proposes "... devoting a portion of the resources to securities abroad". The objective of the proposal being analyzed by the board of the CCSS is to diversify the investment portfolio for the Disability, Old Age and Death (IVM) scheme, which is concentrated in government debt securities.
In Costa Rica a bill has been put forward which aims to allow cooperatives and private and public pensions funds to invest in public infrastructure.
The bill introduced in the Legislative Assembly "... aims to allow different private and public organizations dedicated to raising money from pension funds, to invest in the construction of public works."
In Costa Rica protests are being made against a decision by the Ministry of Public Works to segment road maintenance works into only three contracts, limiting the participation of more companies.
After a meeting with representatives of the sectors who are concerned about the measure, the National Highway Council (CONAVI) announced that it will review the specifications of the tender with the aim of expanding the division of work.