Govt looking at providing perks to construction sector
KUALA LUMPUR: The government is looking at providing incentives to the construction industry to encourage players to migrate to sustainable construction methods and processes such as the industrialised building system (IBS), mechanisation and building information modelling (BIM).
Works Minister, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said at the same time, the government also aimed to get more volume from the industrial players so that the cost of doing business is cheaper, and thus get others to come on board.
“We are looking at the incentives, but more importantly, it is for us to create volume so that it brings down the cost,” he told reporters after opening the International Construction Week 2018 yesterday.
Fadillah said the government’s main objective in the construction industry was to ensure it embraced technology moving forward.
The minister also said that for local industry players to become competitive, it is vital for them to shift their way of doing work, and not just workers, but also the directors are urged to have a new way of undertaking it.
“There are already incentives provided by the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) to promote the usage of IBM in projects, including the setting up of centres to train workers, and the result is evident with companies slowing moving into this technology.
“In the beginning, the Education Ministry adopted this method for school projects.Next, we would like to engage all the other ministries and eventually, all public projects to be IBS compliant,” he added.
Asked if a penalty would be imposed on contractors who failed to adhere to the IBS, Fadillah said: “Not for now. What we want to do is get all the local authorities, who are the approving agencies to make it as one of the mandatory terms.”
Meanwhile, nine companies were recognised at yesterday’s event for achieving the coveted 5-star Competitive Rating for Enhancement (SCORE).
SCORE is an ongoing initiative by the CIDB in collaboration with SME Corp to measure the performance and capability of Malaysian construction companies.
The nine companies are Acre Works Sdn Bhd, Advance Pact Sdn Bhd, Gamuda Bhd, George Kent (Malaysia) Bhd, IJM Construction Sdn Bhd, Irama Duta Sdn Bhd, Iswarabena Sdn Bhd, Putra Perdana Construction Sdn Bhd and Urusan Tinggi Wawasan Sdn Bhd.
CIDB kicked off the International Construction Week 2018 (ICW 2018) yesterday, bringing over 100 exhibitors and more than 10,000 attendees from around the world to drive thought leadership discussions in the construction sector.
Themed, “Achieving Peak Productivity”, the ICW 2018 continues until March 30 and features exhibitions, seminars and talks on the use of modern construction technologies, among others.