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36 37 controlled fromEngland.” “The Countrywas booming,but the locals were not benefitting,”Sands continues.“So,we had a lot of unions start to tryand galvanize support to see if we could get a piece of the pie,as it were.Alot of people came into the country fromaround theworld,so the BCAalso had to be there to ensure that the locals had an opportunity to sit at the table,as well.We also recognized that the construction industry is also the voice for the contractor,the realtor,the architect, the designer,the engineer-the allied professionals that make up the construction team that builds anything in the country.So,it played an extremely important voice for the local tradesmen,the local contractors who invested their money to go into this craft,to have the ability to enjoy some of the prog- ress that our nationwas having around that time.” Cooking the pie correctly,after having obtained it, was also on the founders’minds.“The BCAwas that body that came together–artisans and craftsmen whowere interested in ensuring that the countrybe built the right way-learning and sharing experienc- es and best practices,”Sands says.“It was founded on that principle of promoting best practices in the construction industrybecausewe recognized that as you developed a country,you have to construct it- and you have to construct it right.” Today,the BCAcontinues to serve as the repre- sentative body for the interests of itsmembers and the construction industry in the Bahamas,in general. As an advocacygroup,theAssociation has been effective in representing the interests of Bahamian THE BAHAMIAN CONTRACTORS’ ASSOCIATION contractors inmatters regarding international affil- iations,trade agreements,foreign competition,and direct foreign investment.It represents the construc- tion industryat EconomicPartnershipAgreement (EPA) negotiations with the EuropeanUnion (EU) and at the Coalition of Caribbean Contractors and CAR- ICOM levels. At home,the BCAacts as an interface between developers and local contractors andmaintains a continuing dialoguewith the PrimeMinister’s Office and the Foreign Investment Board.One of itsmost important domestic endeavors consists in continual- ly lobbying the government for strong implementa- tion of the recentlypassed and enacted Construction ContractorsAct of 2016,which,for the first time, licenses,regulates,and controls the constructing contracting industry in the Bahamas. TheAct provides for the certification of Bahami- an contractors according to their qualifications and scale/scope of work theyare capable of undertaking, placing themon a“level playing field”with foreign contractors,and enabling them to better compete for multi-million dollar contracts on foreign direct investment (FDI) projects that come to the Baha- mas,because nowtheir capabilities are certified. TheAct also includes provisions giving Bahamian THE EXECUTIVE BOARD LEONARD SANDS PRESIDENT TAMEKA HANNA VICE PRESIDENT MICHAEL PRATT TREASURER ROBYN OGILVE SECRETARY PETER ROKER TRUSTEE JOHN-MICHAEL CLARKE COUNCILMAN ALLOYIOUS KEMP COUNCILMAN CHARLES KEMP COUNCILMAN ROBERT MYERS COUNCILMAN DANNY LOWE COUNCILMAN