Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - The changes that are taking place in Uzbekistan today are the cornerstone of reforms aimed at further improving living conditions and human well-being. Of course, if we take stock of the past three years, we can state the evidence of changes and transformations in the country. At the same time, the construction industry is undoubtedly at the forefront of reform. It will not be an exaggeration to say that during this period Uzbekistan has formed a powerful base for the development of the construction industry.

This was stated today at a press conference at the Agency for Information and Mass Communications under the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

In his speeches, the Head of State focused on accelerating the improvement of the construction industry, primarily on issues of quality and efficiency of construction processes, and gave instructions on transferring construction to the “non-corruption sector”, increasing transparency and making effective use of information and communication technologies.

Based on the results of the measures taken, based on the decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated 20 September 2019 “On measures for the widespread introduction of information and communication technologies in the construction sector”, serious changes occurred in the industry. In addition, on 7 January, the President held a meeting on priorities for further accelerating reforms in the construction sector. At this meeting, areas of upcoming work are also clearly identified.

So, the ministry is currently developing a number of electronic programs. In particular, experts are working on the creation of the National Information System for Enhancing Transparency in Construction in order to remove corruption and bureaucratic barriers in the direction of construction and to ensure transparency for the public at all stages of construction processes through the widespread introduction of modern information and communication technologies. The main functions of this system are:

- formation of an electronic database of reliable and accurate information about contracts and advances for the construction of facilities, monthly maintenance and proportional financing;

- formation of a database of all contractors and subcontractors involved in the construction of facilities, including timely payments for the actual volume of work performed, the formation of databases by types of work performed by them;

-registration and monitoring of construction processes at facilities, control checks by territorial inspectorates in the field of construction and registration of deficiencies, the formation of electronic databases, data on their elimination.

If the results of construction supervision are fully digitized, this will create convenient working conditions for inspectors. Thanks to digitalization, the quality of work will improve, time will be significantly reduced. In addition, according to the results of the implementation of the electronic system, the ministry will also ensure control over the work of inspectors. As a result, corruption will be reduced, construction processes will become more transparent. This, in turn, will facilitate the work of business contractors. Bureaucratic barriers will be removed.

Digitalization of construction expertise means that all processes will be fully electronic. At the same time, designers will be able to remotely send developed projects to examination bodies using Internet resources. Projects will also be remotely reviewed by authorized bodies and, if there are any shortcomings, returned to the developer. The peculiarity and convenience of this system is that it will help designers to avoid paperwork and, accordingly, save time. Another important point of this direction is that the designers and employees of the examination bodies will not come into direct contact with each other, which, of course, will affect the elimination of corruption.

Until 1 January 2021, the National Information System “Transparent Construction” will cover all territories of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The Geographic Information System “State Urban Development Cadastre of the Republic of Uzbekistan” will also be introduced. In this system, the launch of which is scheduled for March 1 this year, master plans for the development of settlements of the Republic of Uzbekistan will be placed.

The geographic information system includes urban planning documents that determine the future development of settlements in the republic: master plans, detailed planning projects and architectural planning projects for the districts.

Users through the Geographic Information System will be able to get more detailed information about:

- planned construction;

- territories whose objects were demolished;

- development of engineering systems and networks.

Another innovation is the placement on the official website of the Ministry of “calculator of construction processes”. Anyone, whether a foreign investor or a local businessman, can use it at any time. Suppose he wants to build an object. Questions arise where to start, what processes are envisaged or what documents are needed for processing, and even how much time and financial resources need to be spent. Investors will be able to find clear answers to all these questions.

All these changes are reflected in the legislation. In 2020, it is planned to develop and implement 60 new standards. This work will continue until 2025.

It should also be noted that the Government of Uzbekistan adopted a resolution “On measures to organize the activities of the Center for the Development of Information and Communication Technologies in the construction sector”.

The resolution approved the structure of the Center, which was created by the resolution of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan from 20 September 2019.