The Regional Secretary for Tourism and Transport stated in Ponta Delgada that the Regional Public Works Charter (CROP) has an execution rate of 87% from its implementation until the end of the first half of this year.

"Of the 241 planned procedures, 210 have already been launched, which I think that demonstrates the effort that has been carried out and the contribution provided by the Government to the revitalisation of the construction sector with the launch of these works," stressed Vítor Fraga, who was heard today by the Committee on General Policy of the Legislative Assembly.

The Regional Secretary noted that CROP has a time horizon until 2020, adding that some works are yet to be launched, "due to Community funding, including the mapping of the works to be carried out under the operational programme, and their level of complexity," which has led to project review.

"The Regional Public Works Charter is a strategic document designed to help our companies to have predictability for the future. It should be regarded from this perspective. It is an innovative document and the Regional Government was the first to do so in the country. There is no Region in the country that has ever created a document with these features," said the government official.

Vítor Fraga also stated that, after the approval of the Region's Plan and Budget for 2016, the Government will carry out the revision of CROP with the aim of providing more reliable information to companies.

"This is something that we had already announced at the presentation of the latest revision of the Regional Public Works Charter. It is mainly intended to provide a more solid, consistent, and reliable information to our companies so that they may be better prepared for the challenges that lie ahead," Vítor Fraga said, ensuring that this revision will be certainly carried out "before the end of the year.”

Asked by journalists, the Regional Secretary considered that, if there are suspicions of irregularities regarding tender procedures, such suspicions must be submitted "in the appropriate places."

"As far as I am aware, the processes are transparent and are proceeding normally," Vítor Fraga said, stressing that the base price "is estimated by the designers when drafting the projects for each work."