More transparency in the tendering process for public projects is one thing the Construction Association of Bermuda (CAOB) would like to see from the new government of freshly elected Premier Paula Cox.

Attracting commercial tenants to fill up the glut of office space and building, rather than talking about, new hotels are also high on the wish list of the industry.

CAOB president Andy Pereira welcomed Ms Cox's election and added: "Construction in Bermuda is at its lowest, and we don't see this improving any time soon.

"General trends are towards things getting worse before they get better. We hope that Ms Cox's years in Cabinet have prepared her to hit the ground running, as the third and fourth quarter of 2010 look to be worse than the first and second quarters."

Construction has suffered as much as any industry from the economic downturn and the completion of a string of large-scale projects in Hamilton that allowed the industry to boom in recent years.

Last week's release of the Auditor General's report on the new Transport Control Department highlighted the fact that the lucrative contract was not put out to tender. The issue of transparency and fairness in the awarding of contracts is one Mr. Pereira would like to see Ms Cox tackle.

"Transparency in the tendering process of government projects is one of the big issues with our member firms and the Bermuda public," Mr. Pereira said.

"We feel improvement is a must. Too many projects put out by the government are awarded in secrecy and end up costing the country's people."

Mr. Pereira's comments came just before the new Premier's late afternoon announcement that her own Ministry would oversee a new Procurement Office. The new division will assume responsibility for contract and project management.

New hotel project announcements have provided hope for construction firms, but the plans have not translated into much work yet. "Our industry needs to see hotels being built, not talked about," Mr. Pereira said. "There have been so many developers and dreams, but not hotels.

"Currently there are hundreds of thousands of square feet of office space available for rent. Filling this space is critical. The trickledown effect of filling these empty buildings will contribute significantly to the revival of our economy, and the construction industry."

The construction industry looked forward to working with Ms Cox's team for the betterment of the Island, he added.

"We feel there is a lot of work needed to help stimulate the current climate," Mr. Pereira said.

"We enjoy being part of the process. We currently work with various groups within the government, such as the National Training Board, Bermuda Collage, Bermuda Housing Corporation, Immigration, Consumer Affairs, and Health and Safety to list a few.

"We hope to continue to strengthen these relationships to better serve our members, industry and community."

He added: "Premier Cox takes the helm at a critical stage in Bermuda's history. We wish her well, offer our support, and look forward to working together with her team to improving the situation to the benefit of all Bermudians."