With effect from today, Tuesday 1 July, the law regulating contractors in the construction sector came into force, the Building and Construction Authority said Tuesday.

Contractors working in the demolition, excavation, and construction sectors are as of today obliged to have a licence to operate, the BCA said.

Those operating without a licence shall be immediately stopped from all their work and projects. In recent months the Independent Contractor Licensing Committee approved 2265 applications for a contractor licence. The committee approved 832 demolition licences, 509 excavation licences, and 924 building licences.

Through this reform, the authority said it will not only have full visibility of operators in the sector, but also the specialisation of licensing will lead to higher standards. The licensing process was rigorous where apart from the evaluation by the Committee, in recent months the BCA organised a number of informative meetings in Malta as well as Gozo.

The authority said it also offered all support in response to relevant contact, including through helpline 138. Another important establishment in this number of reforms that build upon licensing was the investment in human resources through the strengthening of the inspectorate. This follows a doubling of the number of inspectors, whilst five inspectors are undergoing recruitment. The Authority, together with stakeholders, is carrying out work on the Building and Construction Code which shall be introduced gradually and shall continue to build on a series of reforms that continue to empower the sector.

The licensing of contractors goes hand in hand with the Licensing of Masons, where the most important parts of this sector are being regulated by enforced law. Following this step, the Authority shall now be moving towards strengthening the importance of the mandatory Skill Card for all those working on a construction site.

The authority reiterated that although the licensing of contractors shall continue in the coming months due to more and more operators applying for this licence, the majority of operators are now licensed, which licence is renewed every two years. For a licence to be valid it must be paid, so all those who have received their licence approval and have not yet paid the licence, cannot operate. The Authority reemphasises that as it has been doing for a long time, that all those who have queries may seek any help necessary in contact with the same Authority, even through helpline 138, to regularise their operations.