The Union of Builders of Armenia is a platform for raising issues of common concern to the professional community, discussing them, presenting solution pathways, establishing new connections, and working together.

Activities aimed at the development of the construction sector, public well-being, safety, and the country’s progress.

History

As a distinct sector, construction has been and remains one of the driving forces of the economy – if not the leading one and at every stage of the state’s life it serves as a unique reflection of its development. The progress of all sectors depends on it, as construction is the field that creates fixed assets. Consequently, it is also the sector facing the greatest number of challenges.

In the first years of independence, when the construction sector of the Republic was going through a period of successive transformational changes, the solution of the challenges facing the state strongly required the support of a reliable partner. A public organization that would take on part of the concerns of builders, thereby easing the burden on the state.

It was with this mission that the Builders’ Association emerged in 1996, later reorganizing into the Union of Builders. Long years of self-affirmation and consolidation followed, during which, step by step, a difficult yet goal-oriented path took shape.

Today, three decades later, it can be stated that this was a journey of achievements, small and great successes, unity, and transformation into a strong and resilient organization.

The Union Today

How does the Union’s thirty-year existence present itself today?

A significant role in shaping sectoral policy; an authoritative professional opinion that the state takes into account; membership in the permanent commissions of more than a dozen state, interdepartmental, public, and international organizations; close partnership relations within the state–union–construction community chain; active participation in the development and adoption of legislative, regulatory-technical, and by-law documents; committed support for reforms in the education sector; deepening practical cooperation with counterpart and international organizations abroad; and assuming a mediating role aimed at expanding investment volumes in the country, as well as introducing and implementing new and advanced design and construction technologies… The list could go on.

Today, the Union of Builders faces critically important steps, alongside the state’s efforts to develop the sector. There remain many unresolved issues that hinder the work of construction companies and pose serious barriers to the country’s development.

The field needs a driving force. And that force is the construction community united around a consolidating organization.

Activates

• Presentation of primary issues in the field of urban development and proposals aimed at their solution to the Government of the Republic of Armenia, the RA Urban Development Committee, and other state bodies.
• Continuous participation in the process of developing priority legislative and normative-technical documents in the field of urban development (the submitted proposals have been adopted and put into force).

Proposals under discussion

• Amendments to the Tax and Customs Codes, and the Law of the Republic of Armenia “On the Fundamentals of Administration and Administrative Proceedings”.
• Proposals for amendments and supplements to the Labor Code of the Republic of Armenia, taking into account field’s specific features.
• Amendments to the RA Laws “On Urban Development” and “On Licensing” regarding the rating-based classification of organizations.
• Amendments to the RA Law “On Procurement” concerning participation in the procurement process based on the level of risk of construction objects and the rating scale of organizations.

Submission of professional proposals regarding the development of a new methodology for construction cost pricing.

Active participation in all discussions related to the construction field of the Republic.

Raising issues and proposals of concern to the professional community through the official media outlet of the Union of Builders of Armenia and the Chamber of Architects of Armenia – the magazine “Architecture, Construction”.

Key Initiatives of the Union

• April 2002 — by a decision of the RA Government, Builder’s Day was established, restoring the tradition of officially celebrating it on the second Sunday of August.
• June 27, 2016 — by a decision of the President of the Republic of Armenia, the honorary title “Honored Builder of the Republic of Armenia” was reinstated.
• As a result of construction market monitoring conducted by the Union’s experts and substantiated calculations submitted to the authorized state body (the Ministry of Urban Development), the overhead cost rate in the New Methodology for Construction Cost Pricing (2006) was increased from 5.3% to 13.3% of direct costs.
• The official publication of the Union of Builders of Armenia and the Union of Architects of Armenia the “Architecture, Construction” magazine was established and has been published for over two decades, remaining one of Armenia’s unique professional printed periodicals.