The Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines was created by virtue of Presidential Decree 1746 on November 28, 1980, which was further amended by Executive Order Numbers 677, 768, 1008 and 133. Although CIAP was vested by its own powers under the aforementioned law, as amended by several Executive Orders, it is technically under the umbrella of the Department of Trade and Industry.
Under the law, as specified in Section 1 of PD 1746 as amended by a series of Executive Orders in later years, the CIAP board will be headed by the DTI Secretary sitting as Chairman, but its actual operations will be under a Supervising Undersecretary of the DTI. The law further states that CIAP will have four implementing agencies, namely the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board or PCAB, Philippine Overseas Construction Board or POCB, Philippine Domestic Construction Board or PDCB, and the Construction Manpower Development Foundation, which was later renamed to the Construction Industry Arbitration Commission or CIAC.
Each of the implementing agencies, the PCAB, POCB, PDCB, and CIAC will be headed by their respective chairmen who shall also sit as members of the CIAP board. Also sitting as a member in the board of the Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines is the president of the Philippine Contractors Association and one representative from the private construction sector which have been appointed by the president.
Among the powers of the CIAP include the crafting of a comprehensive strategy and exercise centralized authority for maximum growth of the Philippine construction industry. It is also empowered to monitor and to study the operations of construction companies both domestic and international, as well as to identify the needs, issues and opportunities. The CIAP board can also recommend and implement legislations, policies, government programs and measures that are geared to support the construction industry.
The board can also enforce applicable and realistic rules and requirements for guidance within the construction industry, and also apply practical and competent methods for pre-qualification of government projects.
It is also within the powers of the CIAP to craft a criteria for categorization and classification of construction companies and contractors which reflect accurately their capacity as well as their performance capability.
The board can also institute criteria, guidelines, and procedures that will help in steering towards a fair and speedy adjudication and settlement of claims, as well as disputes, in contract implementation.
There are many other regulatory powers accorded by the law unto the Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines. This is to ensure that order and harmony among construction companies in the country, such as Dynamic Builders and Construction Company Philippines, Incorporated, will exist and reign.