Speech by 2M Indranee Rajah at the Launch of The Seah Choo Meng Public Lecture Series
Oct 31, 2023
1. It is a great pleasure to join you at today’s launch of the Seah Choo Meng Public Lecture Series.
2. This series is an excellent initiative by SUSS to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and experience between eminent thought leaders, practitioners, and students in the Built Environment (BE) sector.
3. The theme of this inaugural event, “Planning and Managing Big or Complex Projects”, is a relevant one. Our BE projects have indeed become increasingly complex over the years, both in terms of how we plan, and how we build.
Planning for Evolving Needs
4. In a small country like Singapore with our limited land and resources, planning for both present and future is key to meeting our needs and achieving our developmental objectives.
a. We adopt a long-term view to planning and optimising our land.
b. We also plan for the shorter and medium term.
c. Since situations are not static, we regularly review our plans to ensure that they remain relevant.
5. Planning cannot be done in a vacuum. It has to be responsive to the needs and aspirations of society. Our society is evolving, and our demographics are shifting. This is leading to changing needs and aspirations. To better understand these changes, we conducted a series of Housing Conversations under the Forward Singapore exercise. In these Conversations Singaporeans expressed their desire for more affordable and inclusive public housing.
a. As such, we have taken bold strides forward to move towards a revised classification approach for new BTO flats – “Standard, Plus, Prime”. Under this new framework, flats will be classified based on their locational attributes.
b. This will allow us to offer affordable public housing for different household budgets, even in central and choice locations, while ensuring that these areas do not become exclusive over time. This will be accomplished by providing more subsidies to make flats in choicer locations more affordable, but applying tighter restrictions to the sale of these flats to maintain the underlying purpose of these flats as homes for owner-occupation.
c. The new framework will help us ensure that homeownership remains affordable, maintain a good social mix in HDB estates, and that the system remains fair, both for current and future generations of Singaporeans.
6. We also completed a year-long public engagement exercise for the Long-Term Plan Review (LTPR) last year.
a. The LTPR guides Singapore’s land-use plans over the next 50 years.
b. During our extensive engagements, many Singaporeans shared their vision for our future city. These include, affordable housing, good job opportunities, and a sustainable, green city.
7. We will continue to consult Singaporeans, to translate our long-term planning strategies into detailed plans on the ground over the next 10 to 15 years.
a. We just launched the public engagement for the Draft Master Plan earlier this month. I encourage all of you to participate actively in this. You can find out more at URA’s website.
Addressing Complexities in the Building Process
8. Our rapid urban development in our small island over the last 60 years means that there is less greenfield land for development going forward. Our land pressures are becoming increasingly acute. Going forward, we will have to do more with less. This means optimising our limited land and finding innovative ways to accommodate different needs.
a. These include redeveloping brownfield sites, co-locating different land uses, and building higher and going deeper underground.
9. However, these strategies also come with additional technical complexities for buildings and infrastructure projects. Let me elaborate.
10. Projects on brownfield sites are usually near to existing infrastructure.
a. Take the North-South corridor for example. It is a 21.5km long corridor through densely built-up areas and challenging soil conditions.
b. In addition, more than half of it is underground. The project requires a review of the existing underground services, and the development of additional measures to minimise disruption to these services.
11. Integrated building and developments improve the efficiency of our land and enable synergies between different uses.
a. We plan to build the next “vertical Kampung” – the Yew Tee Integrated Development. It will integrate housing for seniors with facilities such as a polyclinic, kidney dialysis centre, community club and retail shops, as well as a hawker centre.
b. However, a development with such a wide range of services and uses under one roof, will be more complex to design, build, and maintain.
12. What this means for the BE sector is that we need even closer collaboration between stakeholders. This will help the project teams better understand the different needs and challenges, align their goals, and develop innovative solutions together.
13. We also need to ensure that the sector has the necessary skillsets and capabilities to manage more complex projects.
14. Let me touch on these points briefly.
Fostering Closer Collaboration
15. First, collaboration. One way to improve this is through collaborative contracting, which sets the right approach from the start of the project. Mr Seah will share more about this emerging model in his lecture later, so I do not need to go into the details.
16. Suffice to say, the Government is very supportive of collaborative contracting, and we are taking the lead to adopt it in public sector projects.
a. BCA has developed an option module for collaborative contracting clauses in the standard conditions of contract for public sector construction projects. More than ten public sector projects have been identified to pilot these clauses in the coming years.
b. Our development agencies including JTC, HDB and LTA will also be piloting the NEC4 contracting form to drive deeper collaboration for more complex projects.
c. Beyond clauses and forms, collaborative contracting requires a fundamental shift in firms’ mindset. We therefore hope to kickstart this change by introducing this approach to consultants and contractors involved in public sector projects.
17. Another way to strengthen collaboration along the BE value chain is through digitalisation. If we can connect people and information through a common digital channel, we can better manage communication, monitor progress, and identify potential issues earlier and resolve them quicker.
18. A key initiative in this regard is the upcoming CORENET X platform. This is a one-stop digital platform for the industry to make regulatory submissions for building works.
a. We are developing new technologies under CORENET X to deliver productivity gains for both the industry and regulatory agencies.
b. For example, we are building an Automated Model Checker to speed up the checking of rules. The industry can utilise the checker to review their designs, and correct any non-compliances before making their submissions.
19. But what is revolutionary about CORENET X is that it will overhaul the entire approach to regulatory submissions and approvals.
a. Currently, different consultants make submissions to the various agencies, and agencies process these submissions in silo.
b. The new process under CORENET X will require project teams to coordinate their designs upfront. Regulatory agencies will also provide a consolidated response to each submission.
c. This process will put all relevant parties on the same page from the outset. Conflicts and miscommunication can be identified and resolved earlier, allowing project teams to eliminate unnecessary re-works and save time.
d. We will implement CORENET X progressively, starting with a soft launch in December 2023.
Capability Development
20. Next, capability development. It is critical to ensure that our workforce can support the adoption of new practices and technologies.
a. Job roles such as building information modellers and digital delivery specialists will grow in demand as we introduce CORENET X. These are exciting jobs which can attract younger Singaporeans.
21. We will continue to support the BE sector in this regard.
a. The BCA Academy took on the role of the dedicated Continuing Education and Training Centre for the BE sector in May this year. It will offer training in key transformation areas, including collaborative contracting and digitalisation.
b. We also partner our Institutes of Higher Learning and professional associations in offering training courses and seminars help our practitioners refresh their skills.
c. For instance, SUSS and the BCA Academy jointly offer undergraduate and graduate courses in facilities management and project management.
22. Beyond technical skills, we will also need to enhance some of the softer skills, which are growing in importance.
a. Our professionals need to build up engagement skills to build a strong relationship with various stakeholders and deepen collaboration.
b. Change management skills will also come in handy as we push for the adoption of new technologies and procurement practices.
23. I encourage our BE practitioners to adopt a mindset of continuous learning and upskilling, and tap on the available training and learning resources to stay relevant as the BE sector transforms.
24. I also call upon our BE firms to play a more active role in supporting the capability development and career progression of your workers.
a. We have seen progressive firms put in place mentoring programmes for fresh graduates, and structured reskilling and upskilling programmes for more experienced workers.
b. You can also put in place clear progression pathways, to encourage our local talents to achieve their fullest potential.
Conclusion
25. In conclusion, I would like to thank SUSS for launching this public lecture series to bring the academic community and our BE practitioners together.
a. I look forward to more discussions on how we can transform the sector together. Let us continue to build a strong network of partners and share best practices with each other.
26. Thank you.