KUALA LUMPUR: Players in the construction industry are supportive of the Construction Industry Development Board’s (CIDB) proposal to make quality assessments mandatory by 2020.
Master Builders Association Malaysia (MBAM) president Matthew Tee said making the Quality Assessment System for Building Construction Works (QLASSIC) mandatory will ensure that the local construction players deliver quality jobs and are able to compete with foreign players.
“The high quality of work achieved ensures the marketability of our local contractors in the international market,” he told Business Times in an e-mail interview.
CIDB has recently proposed that the QLASSIC requirement to be included in the 11th Malaysian Plan (2016-2020).
MBAM has proposed that QLASSIC implementation starts with G7 contractors, and over time flow down to the entire grade of contractors. This is because the big industry players have voluntarily adopted quality systems such as the BCA CONQUAS, said Tee.
“CIDB must conduct QLASSIC training courses for the contractors, and there must be enough qualified QLASSIC assessors to meet the sudden increase of demand for QLASSIC assessment. To speed up the adoption process, incentives in the form of levy discount, free training and affordable assessment fees should be offered,” he added.
Tee believes that the proposal will not only propel the local construction industry to greater heights, but will also speed up the adoption of Industrial Building System (IBS) technology in the country.
“Through QLASSIC implementation, contractors will earn the trust of the end-users/public,” he said, adding that tendering of projects will be based on the price-quality procurement approach.
Sime Darby Property sees the implementation of QLASSIC standards helping the government drive national sustainability agenda further.
“The emphasis on IBS will be enforced. This can reduce foreign labour dependence, thus creating an efficient higher-level workforce,” it said.
Bukit Kiara Group (BKG) managing director N.K. Tong also lauded the move, but said the company will continue to use the CONQUAS rating as it allows the company to benchmark its projects against other international projects where CONQUAS is used, including in Southeast Asia, Australia, China and India.
BKG has been using the Singapore’s BCA CONQUAS system of measurement and benchmarking for its projects for the past 20 years.
While supporting the move on QLASSIC, Sunway Construction Sdn Bhd has some concerns about its adoption among small contractors.
“The question now is on what is the coverage of this mandatory QLASSIC implementation? Will it cover the whole industry, even small projects?” said its assistant qeneral manager of Quality Assurance Department Mohd Faudzi Hanafiah.
If the assessment system covers smaller projects, contractors will face some difficulties in terms of awareness, competency and cost, he said.
Faudzi added the training and competency development for small contractors may take a longer period of time and may reach beyond 2020.
Meanwhile, the editor of PropertyGuru International Malaysia Farah Wahida Md Razid noted that the QLASSIC approach is still new in the construction industry, and that the participation of the key players is vital.