Construction

Singapore's small construction firms are likely to face more difficulties repaying debt as a clampdown on property speculation worsens their already tight liquidity. The island's economy grew at a slower pace in the second quarter than initially projected as construction plunged. Singapore increased stamp duties for developers in July, and also tightened borrowing limits for individuals taking up their...

The local construction sector, which has been showing signs of bottoming out, could find itself on shaky ground again following the latest property cooling measures, some economists said. Advance estimates from the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) on Friday (Jul 13) showed the industry shrunk by 4.4 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter, as weakness in private sector construction activities...

Nine projects have won the Construction Productivity Award this year for taking the initiative to improve the productivity of their projects, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said on Wednesday (May 25). The highest accolade - Platinum - went to residential development 76 Shenton and office building CapitaGreen, BCA said in a media release. The other seven award winners will be given...

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...

Refurbishment businesses have been affected by the slow property market in Singapore. According to the Renovation and Decoration Advisory Centre (RADAC), which represents about 80 industry players, some firms have seen business drop by up to 50 per cent compared to three or four years ago when the property market was booming. Homeowners seem to have a smaller appetite for lavish renovation works as...

The push to raise productivity in Singapore’s construction sector is taking on a new focus this year. New rules will soon take effect, pushing for greater use of productive technologies such as prefabricated components. From the second half of 2014, developers will be required to use prefabricated bathroom units (PBUs) for all residential projects on government land sales sites. Singapore...

Singapore's construction demand is expected to remain strong in 2013, fuelled by public sector projects. The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) is projecting a construction demand of between S$26 billion and S$32 billion for 2013. This comes after the industry reported S$28 billion worth of contracts awarded in 2012. BCA said the public sector will contribute to 53 per cent of the industry demand...

Contractors say resources are being stretched following the move to increase the supply of Build-To-Order flats in the last two years. But they said this has driven them to be more productive. The Housing and Development Board (HDB) said it is also working closely with contractors to ensure that they deliver their projects on time, if not earlier. More than 27,000 Build-To-Order flats were launched this...

The Singapore construction industry is facing a labour crunch with stricter foreign manpower quota even as the pipeline of projects remains strong. Many contractors are already taking measures to raise productivity but this is seen as just the first step forward. For example, Sam Woh uses a $200,000 tracking system to pinpoint the exact location of its over 200 delivery trucks. With this, the company...

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has taken another step forward to help boost productivity in the sector with a technology initiative. BCA has tied up with software modelling company Tekla and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) to promote the use of building information modelling (BIM) among industry practitioners. BIM is a three dimensional (3D) technology that can change the way...