Development

The quality of construction projects and the issuance of Title Deeds is largely dependent upon the sequence and regularity of the developer’s actions. Customers interested in working with a reliable company should have a basic understanding of the standard procedures. All work on the projects of every developer should be clearly planned out, which can be divided into several significant stages.

Stage 1: Consultants

Regardless of whether a company is building a single-residential, multi-residential or commercial building, the first step is always associated with the selection of the project consultants. The main group of consultants includes:

Architect;
Civil Engineer;
Electrical Engineer;
Mechanical Engineer;
Engineer Estimator;
Project Manager;
Fire Engineer;
Geotechnical Engineer;
Energy Efficiency Engineer.

All consultants are members of the Cyprus Chamber of Science and Technology (ΕΤΕΚ) and have professional indemnity insurance.

Stage 2: Design

At the next stage the engineers and architects involved in the project put together drawings with a detailed study of all structural elements. It is important to note that engineering and architectural design is the basis for obtaining permission to conduct work from the Department of Urban Development and local bodies regulating construction and planning. In addition, based on the documentation, the estimator draws up a statement of the volume of building materials required for the construction of the object.

Engineering and architectural design is a rather laborious and lengthy process, on average, taking about a year. This is largely due to the complexity of obtaining permits, budgetary and design constraints. Thus, obtaining a planning permit from the Department of Urban Development can be delayed for 3-6 months, after which you must wait for the building permit to start construction, which can take a further 3-6 months. In some areas, a building permit is issued first and only then an approval follow from the Department of Urban Development.

Stage 3: Tenders

After drawing up project documentation, drawings and estimates, contractors are linked to the project. All work that the subcontractor and supplier must perform is specified in the bidding documents.

Typically, tender applications are filed by 3 to 5 contractors and then the company’s consultants evaluating all offers, determine thus the winner.

Requirements for contractors:

Financial soundness and reliability;
Sufficient experience;
Availability of insurance;
Waste management license;
Relevant license for the type and size of each project.

Furthermore, the contractor must be a member of the Board of Registration and Control of Construction Companies.

After the winner of the tender is determined, the developer and the contractor conclude an E1 (A) agreement; a basic contract for the construction of a project with volumes, developed by the Cyprus Construction Contracting Tribunal (CyJCCT).

Stage 4: Construction

After the conclusion of the agreement, the contractor proceeds to the construction work, which is conducted under the supervision of specialists provided by the developer. Project consultants monitor the construction process and visits the construction site on regular basis. Consultants document the changes made and participate in the selection of materials in each stage.

Depending on the complexity of the project as well as its size, construction work takes from 12 to 24 months. The developer works closely with the contractor and creates the most comfortable conditions of communication which allows to speed up the implementation of the project.

Stage 5: Documentation

The final stage of the project is the registration of property rights. The Certificate of Final Approval is issued by authorized state agencies after the inspection and only if the construction of the object was carried out in accordance with the stated plans. If during construction, changes were initially made to the originally approved plans (for example, a swimming pool was added to the project), the documentation and drawings are revised, after which an application for a Certificate of Final Approval is submitted.The process of obtaining the related certificate takes several months and the developer must guarantee its customers that it will be issued without any delays.