Speech by Minister Desmond Lee at the International Built Environment Week 2024
Sep 4, 2024
Distinguished guests
Friends and partners from the Built Environment sector
Welcome to the International Built Environment Week (IBEW) 2024. Widely regarded as one of the most comprehensive Built Environment event in the Asia Pacific, IBEW brings stakeholders and experts from Singapore, the region and the world to share knowledge, exchange experience, and foster collaboration.
This year’s theme, “Solving for Tomorrow, Today” urges us to intensify our efforts to make our sector future-ready.
Because we will have to manage the complexities of longer-term trends and challenges, such as climate change and shifting socio-economic landscapes.
Today, I will speak about two key topics which are important to our sector:
First, adopting new technologies to seize opportunities and second, building an attractive and future-ready BE sector.
Adopting new technologies to seize opportunities
CORENET X
In Singapore, we have been making good progress in industry transformation.
Firms have been digitalising and actively embracing new technologies to build more productively and sustainably.
One digitalisation effort that agencies have been working closely with the industry on is CORENET X, the new one-stop digital platform for the industry to make integrated regulatory submissions for building works.
With CORENET X, we are able to streamline today’s regulatory approval process, and enable a smoother construction process for building works.
Project teams will make coordinated submissions to regulatory agencies, and agencies will issue a coordinated response after joint review, reducing the need for project teams to liaise with multiple agencies individually.
Additionally, consultants across different disciplines will also coordinate their designs upfront under CORENET X. This will allow potential design conflicts to be detected and resolved upfront, which should lead to less abortive works downstream.
CORENET X was soft-launched in Dec 2023 with some partner firms.
For example, the project team for the new condominium at Champions Way, had embraced the collaborative spirit of CORENET X.
I am glad to hear that the project team, led by CDL and comprising ADDP Architects, TW-Asia, Belmacs and Woh Hup, has generally had a smooth experience with the new system and processes. However, as with all new initiatives, we can expect some teething issues as we roll out CORENET X.
We are currently in the voluntary submissions phase of CORENET X, and I encourage you to submit projects through this new platform to prepare your organisation for change. We will continue to press on with our initiatives to ensure that the sector is ready, and closely monitor industry readiness before making it a requirement for submissions to be done through CORENET X.
We will also continue to work closely with the industry to ensure a smooth roll out and realise the full benefits of CORENET X.
Now, this not only requires government agencies to work collaboratively together but, it also requires our private sector industry partners to work together, in order for us to fully benefit from this transformative change of CORENET X.
Built Environment Industry Digital Plan (IDP)
On a wider level, the refreshed Built Environment Industry Digital Plan (IDP), launched by BCA and IMDA, helps to guide SMEs in our sector who are seeking to digitalise.
When we first launched it in 2020, it was called the Construction and Facilities Management Industry Digitalisation Plan. The Digital Plan shared strategies for firms to identify suitable digital solutions and relevant training programmes.
But as technology advances, strategies will also have to evolve. To help our SMEs remain competitive in the changing tech environment, BCA and IMDA have worked with the industry to refresh the Industry Digital Plan.
A key update to the Industry Digital Plan is that its digital solution suite and digital skills training roadmap now provides firms with information on more recent and emerging technologies, such as AI-enabled solutions.
Some digital solutions mentioned within the Industry Digital Plan are supported by existing funding schemes, such as the Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG), and we are working with IMDA to pre-approve more solutions for the industry.
Beyond being aware of new opportunities, we must also keep an eye out for emerging threats. The Industry Digital Plan now includes information on cybersecurity and data protection measures, to guide SMEs on how to safeguard their systems against cyberattacks.
ConTech
The application of technology, and opportunities for innovation in our sector, extend beyond the digital solutions that I have spoken about so far.
It also includes robotics and automation (R&A), energy efficiency solutions and sustainable materials, amongst many others. Collectively, these innovative construction technologies are known as Construction Technology or “ConTech” for short.
Globally, ConTech solutions have gained attention.
We recognise the impact that ConTech will have for the sector.
These solutions can assist our firms to transform their businesses and operations, and further drive productivity, competitiveness and sustainability.
Investors and progressive BE firms have started to recognise Singapore as a good place to engage in ConTech R&D, and to subsequently commercialise their innovations here to serve local and regional markets.
With our supportive Innovation & Technology (I&T) ecosystem to develop, testbed and deploy the latest ConTech solutions, Singapore is well-positioned to support the growth in ConTech in the region. These include:
A supportive regulatory environment for innovations;
Events and spaces to connect key stakeholders, showcase new technologies and transfer knowledge, such as BCA’s Built Environment Innovation Hub (BEIH); and
Open innovation and funding programmes, such as the Built Environment Accelerate-to-Market Programme (BEAMP).
I am glad to share that this year, BCA has organised its inaugural ConTech Summit 2024 as a key highlight of this year’s IBEW.
The summit is a platform for both Singapore and international participants to explore emerging ConTech solutions and pick up insights from leading global experts.
It will include a showcase of local and foreign startups with unique solutions, presentations on global and regional trends and developments, and a panel discussion on the future of ConTech.
Building an attractive and progressive BE sector
Even as we push on with technology adoption and industry transformation, people remain at the heart of our sector.
I am glad that firms in the BE sector has become more progressive. Many firms have invested in new technologies and put in effort to grow and develop their employees.
We will double down on efforts to enhance the attractiveness and awareness of BE jobs. We need to improve HR practices, redesign jobs and uplift the overall perception of work in the Built Environment sector.
BuildSG Industry Branding Campaign
Today, we will launch the Building Singapore (or “BuildSG”) Industry Branding Campaign.
The campaign will highlight the nation-building role of the BE sector, and how the work of people in the sector has shaped the way Singaporeans live, work and play.
It will build on our existing efforts to improve public appreciation for the BE sector, and show how the sector designs, builds and maintains a liveable and sustainable Singapore.
As we encourage innovation, we see many interesting new jobs being created, which will in turn improve career prospects for existing professionals, and present exciting opportunities for young talent looking to join the sector. The campaign will highlight the sector’s job diversity, and these new opportunities that have started to emerge.
We will get a chance to watch the campaign’s main promotional video later. For now, let me share some of the key visuals that the team has worked hard to produce.
As you can tell, a key element of the campaign is that it will feature people from the sector. For example, we have Yam Wei Jian, a young digital transformation specialist and mechanical engineer at Obayashi Singapore Private Limited.
Wei Jian is part of a team that explores how new technologies can improve and streamline processes across various projects, such as the use of Virtual Reality (VR) tools to visualise and interact with project spaces.
VR tools have allowed Wei Jian to provide his clients with not only realistic representations of complex designs, but also a tangible immersive experience.
Our campaign will also feature Tiffany Kwan, a sustainability consultant from Building System and Diagnostics Private Limited (“BSD”).
Tiffany works closely with building owners at the planning and design stage to minimise the carbon footprint of their buildings over their lifespan.
As enablers of a more sustainable Built Environment, Tiffany and the team at BSD advise on the adoption of sustainable building materials and propose innovative solutions to optimise energy and water consumption.
For example, they developed an AI solution that leverages data learning to identify the most efficient and suitable chilled water system based on each building's needs and design.
We hope that the campaign, together with our other comms and engagement efforts, will help us attract and retain talent in the sector.
That said, beyond branding and public perception, there remains a lot of room for improvement in our sector. For one, the BE community remains concerned about the trajectory of our architectural and engineering professions. We have heard feedback from many concerned members of our BE sector asking:
Are we attracting enough young Singapore talent to pursue careers in architecture and engineering?
Are we offering remuneration that is competitive and adopting workplace practices that keep pace with competing sectors?
Are our architectural and engineering firms transforming their businesses, and improving their HR practices?
Are service buyers adopting more progressive and collaborative practices?
We share the same concerns and have been working hard to address some of these issues.
For one, the Government has taken the lead in advancing healthier procurement practices in the public sector. I am glad to update that the Enhanced Public Sector Standard Consultancy Agreement, or ‘SCA’ has been finalised, and will be implemented for projects later this year.
I had earlier announced in January 2024 that in collaboration with the industry, the Government has been reviewing the SCA to ensure that our procurement approach remains fair and progressive.
We have been working to update the fee adjustment provisions for additional services to provide consultants with fair and timely remuneration, to have more regular payment milestones and updated fee rates.
We have also been working to update the provisions to grant consultants cost-sharing for significant construction delays where the delays are due to issues beyond the consultants’ control, for a more balanced allocation of project risks across the project team. The review also explored how the scope of service could be more clearly defined.
I am glad to announce that the enhanced SCA contract clauses are ready for implementation, for projects with tenders called from 1 November 2024 onwards. My BCA colleagues will share details in an industry circular later this week. We will continue to review feedback from the industry to further advance healthier industry practices.
Beyond efforts by the Government, it will take the collective efforts of all BE stakeholders, working together in an inter-disciplinary approach, to realise our vision of making the sector attractive and progressive.
This is why we have set up the Taskforce for Architectural and Engineering Consultants led by Mr Chaly Mah, Chairman of Surbana Jurong and my colleague, Minister Indranee Rajah. This is a joint industry-government Taskforce, with representation from key stakeholders such as our Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs), Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), and young BE professionals.
The Taskforce will focus on the following four areas:
Uplifting branding of the BE sector and strengthening inflow of people into the sector;
Transforming the workforce and workplaces for the future;
Evolving existing BE consultancy business models; and
Propagating more sustainable industry practices
All of these areas are important. There are many issues to resolve and many ideas to be explored. If we don’t do this well, the future of our sector will be at stake. We must get this right.
In the coming months, the Taskforce will be hard at work to develop ideas to chart out the next bound for the sector. I am grateful to the Taskforce members from the BE consultancies, service buyers, Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs) and agencies for contributing to this important work.
I encourage you to reach out to my BCA colleagues, if you have any feedback and ideas to share with the Taskforce.
Conclusion
Let me conclude by seeking the support of all industry partners gathered here today, to join hands with us as we work together in the ongoing transformation of the BE sector.
As we push forward, we anticipate many exciting opportunities ahead for everyone. Our efforts to transform technologies, processes and people will allow us to both confront new challenges, and also seize the opportunities that lie ahead.
I wish everyone a fruitful and rewarding IBEW ahead.