Lack of filling materials, contractors struggling

Despite the high demand, for many days now, the contractor constructing the Ring Road I project (Hai Duong City) has not been able to buy sand to fill the construction.

The scarcity of filling materials has affected the progress of construction projects in Hai Duong and caused many difficulties for construction contractors.

The shortage of construction materials, especially sand and hill soil, in recent times has caused difficulties for contractors, especially contractors working on large projects. Most contractors have had to struggle to find solutions and face many risks and economic losses.

Supply cannot meet demand

Currently, the implementation of public investment projects in the province is facing many difficulties. In addition to problems with site clearance, the lack of supply of construction materials for leveling has greatly affected the progress of the project and caused economic losses to construction contractors.

As a key project of the province in this term, the project to invest in building the East-West axis road of Hai Duong province is more than 36 km long, passing through Thanh Mien, Ninh Giang, and Tu Ky districts. The project has been under construction since July 2022 with the participation of many construction contractors.

Hai Duong Embankment and Rural Development Joint Stock Company is one of the contractors building the East-West axis road. Mr. Le Van Quang, Deputy Director of the Executive Board of the construction package from km0-km8+300 of the project, said that the package of the first 8 km of the project has basically completed the roadbed and loading. After that, the unit will construct the road surface. During this period, each day the company needs about 2,000m3 of filling sand, 500m3 of hill soil and 1,000m3 of graded crushed stone. Currently, the unit supplying these materials to the contractor can only meet about 60% of the actual demand. “We have to find sources of materials from many different suppliers. Due to the scarcity of supply, construction material suppliers are currently not committed to providing enough volume according to the order. This has affected the construction progress, nearly 3 months behind the set target,” said Mr. Quang.

Bach Dang - Da Nang Construction and Investment Development Joint Stock Company is the contractor participating in the construction of nearly 5 km of the East - West axis road, part of package 14, from km8 + 300 - km36 + 493. Mr. Vu Van Hien, Project Executive Director of this company, informed that the contractor is currently focusing on the treatment of weak soil, so the demand for filling materials is very large. On average, each day the contractor needs about 3,000 m3 of filling sand, 1,000 m3 of filling soil and various types of crushed stone. However, the actual daily supply does not meet 50% of the demand. Enterprises have to contact suppliers from other provinces further away to get materials, so the transportation cost is increased a lot. We have to adjust the technical solution to ensure the requirements and progress set out. However, the lack of materials has caused the actual construction progress to be nearly 2 months behind schedule.

While constructing the Hai Duong City Ring Road 1 project, Construction Joint Stock Company 201 is also in a situation of "thirst" for filling materials. To meet the project's progress as required, the company needs about 5,000m3 of filling sand each day, but the market can only supply 600-700m3. "For many days now, the company has not been able to buy filling sand for construction. The lack of material supply has greatly affected the project's construction progress," said Mr. Kieu Xuan Hung, Deputy Director of Construction Joint Stock Company 201.

To overcome the lack of filling materials during the project construction, contractors must maximize construction efforts when materials are available, adjust construction methods, switch loading materials from sand to crushed stone, and utilize excess soil...

Lack of filling materials greatly affects the construction progress of Hai Duong's East-West axis road project.

Face many risks

According to information from contractors, in addition to difficulties in the supply of construction materials, contractors also face sharp increases in the prices of these materials. Compared to 2022, the price of sand filling increased by about 30%, the price of hill land and crushed stone increased by about 40%. Lack of construction materials and sudden price increases put contractors at risk of having to compensate for losses when carrying out the project. The long project implementation time entails a series of other costs such as: labor, project management, opportunity costs...

Mr. Vu Van Bang, Deputy Director of Falcon Vietnam Joint Stock Company (the contractor implementing the project to renovate and upgrade the Binh Xuyen - Ngo Quyen - Tan Trao district road in Thanh Mien) shared that although the company knows for sure that when the project is completed, it will incur a loss, it still has to comply with regulations and ensure quality. Otherwise, the contractor will violate the contract, affecting its reputation.

Contractors want to resolve difficulties in the supply of raw materials. Authorities should consider putting qualified soil and rock mines in Hai Duong into operation soon to meet the supply for construction projects. The announcement of prices for construction materials should be timely and closer to market prices. Investors should resolve difficulties for contractors and consider extending the time for bid packages at risk of being behind schedule due to lack of material supply. Contractors want competent authorities to recommend the Government to have macro solutions to stabilize the market and ensure the supply of construction materials to meet current needs.

PHAN ANH