Center aims to build cooperative framework among developers, contractors and local businesses
Namyangju opened the Wangsuk Partners Center on Thursday at the Gyeonggi Eastern Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Geumgok-dong, aiming to support new-town development and foster cooperation between developers and local businesses.
The center was established to narrow the information gap between developers and contractors involved in new-town construction projects and local businesses, and to help those businesses participate meaningfully in the projects.
The center will provide local firms with information on construction procurement plans and subcontracting opportunities related to new-town development. It will also support businesses through the entire process of project participation — from initial consultations and contract assistance to contractor registration. Contractors, in turn, plan to expand their use of local firms by sharing information on businesses operating in the city.
Partner institutions include the city government, the Gyeonggi Eastern Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Korea Land and Housing Corporation and Gyeonggi Housing and Urban Development Corporation.
Kim Sang-su, deputy mayor of Namyangju, will serve as director of the Wangsuk Partners Center and oversee its operations, leading efforts to build communication and cooperation among developers, contractors and local businesses.
Earlier, on Aug. 12, the city held a cooperative forum involving developers, contractors and local businesses to discuss ways to expand local firm participation and improve information sharing in new-town construction projects.
Namyangju currently has four new-town development projects under way — the Wangsuk, Wangsuk 2, Jinjeop 2 and Yangjeong transit-oriented area districts — covering a total area of 16 million square meters across 38 construction lots. Nineteen major construction firms are involved, including Hyundai E&C, Geumgwang Enterprise, Ssangyong E&C and Daewoo Engineering.
About 6,000 local businesses in construction, services, labor and materials are registered in Namyangju. The city plans to strengthen ties between local firms and developers and contractors through the Wangsuk Partners Center, building a foundation for local businesses to participate substantively in large-scale development projects and ensuring the benefits of those projects flow back into the local economy.
With the center now open, the city plans to reinforce public-private cooperation by holding communication forums between contractors and local firms, signing MOUs and operating a public development project working committee to expedite permitting and approvals — with the goal of establishing a leading new-town model in which local businesses, contractors and developers all thrive together.
"We will actively expand the participation and cooperation of local businesses so that the fruits of large-scale development projects, including the Wangsuk new town, can be returned to the community and its residents," Namyangju Mayor Choi Hyeon-deok said. "We will operate the Wangsuk Partners Center as a practical cooperation channel connecting developers, contractors and local businesses, and will take careful steps to ensure that expanded local firm participation translates into tangible results."
pjh@heraldcorp.com
