Construction Services Industry Supports People's Schools, Asks Procurement Not To Turn Off Local Businesses

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Construction Services Association Forum supports priority programs, namely the People's School. Chairman of the Construction Services Communication Forum Andi Rukman Karumpa believes that the People's School program is not just a policy, but a strategic leap of civilization.

"This program aims to break the chain of intergenerational poverty which has been carrying out too long, targeting children from poor and extreme poor families to be given stairs to a brighter future," said Andi, who was accompanied by DR Sigit, teaching Susilo as the secretary of the Indonesian Construction Services Association forum in Jakarta, quoted Wednesday, October 22.

Andi said this program paved the way for the birth of new business actors from the lower generation, tore apart social strata boundaries and created an inclusive economic even distribution. This is a real answer to an education emergency in which hundreds of thousands of children drop out of school and have never experienced education, which without a diploma will only add to the line of unemployment.

"The concept of boarding school with three free food guarantees, adequate learning facilities, and the formation of a holistic character is a form of state responsibility that is most entitled, the best investment in people's funds for the future of the people itself," said the Chairman of the GAPENSI BPP.

Therefore, Andi assessed that the noble spirit of this educational program should not be betrayed by the method of tendering his physical work. Andi conveyed that the packaging for the construction of the People's School was combined with several locations in one package with a value of more than Rp. 1 trillion and hundreds of billions of rupiah.

"On the other hand, we have to speak out loud against practices that can actually turn off our economy pulses, namely the packaging of physical work that consolidates many locations into one large tender package," Andi continued.

According to Andi, the practice of packaging several locations in one large tender package contradicts the spirit of building from grassroots. Andi said tender requires a minimum experience that has led to BUMN-BUMN works.

"Will the dozens of packages spread across the provinces have been intended only for BUMN-BUMN Karya?" Andi asked.

Andi said this kind of packaging does not reflect healthy competition and tends to monopolize work in only a handful of contractors, simultaneously it also closes access and marginalizes the role of small, reluctant and local entrepreneurs who should be the backbone of the regional economy. In principle, this practice is against the goals and principles of a healthy tender.

"From the aspect of the goal, he failed to produce the right service because he ignored small, medium and local contractors who understood the most characteristics of the location," Andi continued.

Instead of increasing the participation of micro, small and medium enterprises, Andi continued, this practice actually strangled MSME actors. From the basic principle point of view, this kind of packaging is inefficient because it is prone to causing swelling logistics and coordination costs and supervision of several different locations to become very weak.

"The process is not transparent and open when only certain people are able to participate in large-scale tenders. The conditions are not competitive and unfair because they eliminate equal opportunities for local MSMEs," said Andi.

Therefore, said Andi, the Indonesian Construction Services Association Forum urges the People's School program to be supported by a procurement method that is also noble, namely by breaking physical work packages according to local business locations and capacities. Andi assessed that greater trust and opportunities must be given to local entrepreneurs to build schools in their own area.

"Those who understand the terrain the most, are closest to the community, and will ensure that development funds rotate for the welfare of the local area," said Andi.

With this approach, Andi said that the government not only built school buildings, but also built regional economic independence. Andi said this was in line with the government's efforts, which not only scored a smart next generation, but also created jobs and tough business actors.

"Let's realize the ideals of an inclusive education with procurement that is also inclusive, for the sake of an advanced, fair, and sovereign Indonesia," said Andi.