BCA has committed S$20 million in the built environment sector to adopt digital solutions

Singapore, 8 September 2020—Desmond Lee, Minister for National Development and Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration, announced a new S$20-million Advanced Digital Solutions (ADS) scheme to fund integrated advanced digital solutions that keep worksites and workers safe.

Minister Lee was speaking at the opening of the International Built Environment Week (IBEW) 2020 on how digitalisation can help as the built environment sector remains vigilant and continues to ensure compliance with work restart requirements.

Supported by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), the ADS solutions for the construction sector will help firms defray up to 80 per cent of the costs of digital equipment such as thermal scanners, facial recognition systems, AI cameras, as well as Bluetooth-enabled wearables and their integration with site management solutions to assist in COVID-safe worksite management, up to a cap of S$20,000 per project.

To help improve our work processes in order to remain viable in a post-COVID-19 world, the Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA), the Institution of Engineers Singapore (IES) and the Association of Consulting Engineers Singapore (ACES) have also co-created the iNPQS platform.

This is a cloud-based digital platform with standard specifications that can be adapted and customised by firms for their building projects, and has the ability to integrate with BIM technology. The use of iNPQS that comes with a standard set of base specifications not only speeds up the drafting process, but also reduces abortive work and minimises conflicting requirements and discrepancies in the specifications.

Lastly, as part of efforts to transform the Facilities Management (FM) industry through digitalisation and adoption of technology, BCA is launching the Smart FM to enhance productivity and improve service delivery in the FM industry. The adoption of Smart FM can help building owners and developers, especially those with a portfolio of buildings, to achieve at least 15 per cent improvement in productivity, cost or manpower savings, etc.

Hugh Lim, CEO of BCA, said, “Digitalisation will play an increasingly larger role to help the industry build resilience and position our firms to emerge stronger from COVID-19. BCA, together with our stakeholders and partners, will continue to support the industry’s effort to digitalise and reap the benefits for both firms and workers across the entire built environment value chain.”

– Construction+ Online