Construction sector urged to adopt IBS
PUTRAJAYA: The construction industry should be prepared to adopt the industrialised building system (IBS) within three years before it is made mandatory, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Ahmad Zahid said in a statement that the decision was made during the high-level committee meeting on the Enforced Implementation of IBS Usage in the Construction Industry, chaired by him at Parliament yesterday.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Minister of Home Affairs, said yesterday’s meeting was held to analyse the proposal to make the IBS compulsory for the national construction industry through the legislation of laws, by amending the current Uniform Building By-Laws.
“The IBS in the construction industry should be championed by the private sector to increase its use on a larger scale, as the value and number of projects by the private sector are always bigger than that of the public sector,” he said.
Statistically, Ahmad Zahid said, there were 5,395 construction projects by the private sector in 2015, worth RM111bil, accounting for 82% of the total in the country.
Comparatively, construction projects by the public sector only accounted for 18%, with 1,822 projects worth RM24bil, he said.
“Last year, there were 4,851 private sector construction projects, worth RM126.3bil. They accounted for 74% of the total value of projects in Malaysia, compared to the public sector with 1,696, worth RM50bil,” he said.
He said IBS has shortened construction time and allowed developers to sell the properties and buildings quicker.
“IBS would help to double productivity level by 2.5 times, and would be able to generate extra income for the construction workers by 2020,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid said according to the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), many of the nation’s iconic projects were successfully constructed using the IBS, such as the Petronas Twin Towers, Kl Sentral, Bukit Jalil national Stadium, KL Tower and the KL International Airport.
Meanwhile, he said the meeting had also deliberated on several recommendations and proposals from the Works Ministry through the CIDB, such as enhancing the local authority’s jurisdiction in enforcing IBS policy and increasing CIDB’s role in implementing the IBS.
They had also deliberated on reviewing sale and purchase agreement to shorten construction time and to reduce unskilled labour in government projects, he said.
Also present at the meeting were Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar, Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk Dr Loga Bala Mohan and Human Resources Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Abdul Muttalib as well as the ministries’ secretary-generals, department heads and relevant agencies.