State-wide builders panel established to deliver more social housing

• Eighty-five building companies appointed to a new State-wide builders panel to expedite the supply of social housing across the State
• Businesses are now pre-approved to deliver social housing
• Delivers on McGowan Government commitment to cut red tape for small, medium and large companies, making it easier to do business with Government

Housing Minister John Carey has today announced the establishment of a State-wide Housing Construction and Refurbishment Builders Panel to further accelerate the McGowan Government’s social housing delivery.

The establishment of the panel means new construction and refurbishment projects can now be rapidly contracted as building companies appointed to the new panel are pre-approved to build social housing.

The Expression of Interest process for the panel was launched in July 2022 and received an overwhelming response, with 101 applications received from small, medium, and large companies from both metropolitan and regional Western Australia.

A total of 85 building companies have been appointed, while further construct-only and design-and-construct opportunities will be presented to panel members as they arise.

To encourage broader industry participation, the Department of Communities undertook a simplified qualification process.

Among those builders appointed or provisionally appointed to the panel, approximately 10 per cent are Indigenous businesses, 36 per cent are regional businesses and 49 per cent are small builders.

The panel will primarily support the delivery of social housing and may be expanded to include other housing programs delivered by the Department of Communities.