Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Turkey Contracting Services Assembly meet at TOBB. Hasan Gül (president of Public Procurement Authority) and Erdal Eren (president of Turkey Contracting Services Assembly) attended the meeting.

 

TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu made a speech in the meeting. In his speech, he expressed; “Contracting services sector grew 18,4 percent in the first 9 months of 2010, this sector is related with 200 sub sectors and employed 400 thousand people. It is 30 percent of Turkish economy and has 15 billion Dollar business capacity abroad, and there are 25 big contracting companies among the world biggest 250 companies. 

 

Hisarcıklıoğlu indicates that the Turkish Constraction Sector is in the second place in the world and its goal is to be world leader and he adds that in the medium term, $15 billion bussiness capacity should be taken to $50 billion and then 10 billion dollars.

 

Hisarcıklıoğlu also noted there are some minor problems od the sector and request the help of the support of  Public Procurement Authority to solve these problems. . Hisarcıklıoğlu says that nowhere in the world “cheap means good “and to make cheap work does not mean the quality being caught. He said, in Turkey as a nation we have a dominated view which is “making money is shame” and criticized, who we see, we say “it is good nor bad”

 

Indicating that as a sector without earning money there is no way of investing Hisarcıklıoğlu, continued by saying; “I am telling bureaucracy, the money that we earn is not all ours. I know this from bids. They assume that the amount we earn is all ours. It’s just the opposite. Only 2 to 5 percent of earnings are left to us. All is distributed. Not all the money is actually ours. For that don’t set your eyes to our money, on the contrary try to increase the money. Increase it so that we gain money. Increased earnings will eventually result in investment. And as investments increase tomorrow your children will have new job opportunities on the newly opened facilities. Expanding with the hand of government is already over. Thanks to God, there is no such law saying that bureaucrat children will automatically become bureaucrats. There we are the ones to provide employment. If we are giving jobs, then you should need to enlarge our businesses. Our children also need jobs. The major problem of Turkey is unemployment. According to Turkish Statistical Institute’s data, today in Turkey 3 million people are unemployed. And 2 million people give up looking for work because in time they get bored of searching for work. We need to break down the logic of “cheapest tender offer” which highlights cutting down on profit and poor quality production. Don’t give work to a businessman who will not earn. Because this is when problems start both with public office and in our businesses.  We start to be perceived in a different  way. You have a major role here. Especially in domestic investments we are held responsible for value added taxes (KDV). Please make sure that you get the value added tax refunds.  Since it is our profit. If you can provide such refund, it is possible to do business cheaper. Our foreign contractor sector is providing work to unemployed. They need to wear medals for that. So we shouldn’t be withheld from premium support.”

 

Hisarciklioglu stated that, when bidding abroad, letters of guarantee should be received from tukish banks easily, but there have been difficulties. He added for letters of guarantee taken from foreign banks important commissions are paid to banks abroad, this money should not be taken from foreign banks,  there were right to everyone in this. Hisarciklioglu expressed that, Turkish banking sector and Eximbank should put their weight behind the construction sector to do business abroad, when they need letters of guarantee.