The Building Construction Authority (BCA) has revised the tender evaluation framework for Government construction projects, raising the productivity weightage to 10 per cent of the overall score. The revised framework will be fully implemented from January next year.
This will allow builders with “good productivity records” in their past projects and their investment in technology adoption and workforce development to have an advantage when tendering for Government construction projects, said BCA in a release on Tuesday (Oct 13).
Previously, the productivity weightage was set at a range of 3 to 6 per cent, and it was parked under the quality component. Depending on the type of procurement project, contractors could be involved in the design process in different degrees, which affected the weightage given to the productivity and price components to different degrees.
The new revision separates the productivity and quality components, with productivity given a weightage of 10 per cent, and quality and price weighing the remaining 90 per cent.
The authority also announced that it has launched a S$2.6 million fund for research programmes on construction productivity. The fund is part of its aim to raise the productivity of the built environment sector by an average of 2 to 3 per cent annually by 2020, as laid out in its second Construction Productivity Roadmap launched earlier this year.
The BCA will also provide funding for projects that adopt Virtual Design and Construction (VDC), to promote collaboration in the built environment sector. The VDC process aids in the integration of the different phases of a project.
The BCA Academy also launched a new Masters programme for International Construction Management with a major in Construction Productivity, in conjunction with the University of Florida. Applications are open and the first intake will start around March next year.
Source : Channel NewsAsia – 13 Oct 2015