Penalty for HDB's Home Improvement Programme Contractors Due to Service or Quality Lapses

76 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for National Development in respect of HDB's Home Improvement Programme (HIP) (a) whether HDB publishes the names of HIP contractors who have been penalised due to service or quality lapses; and (b) between 2012 and 2016, how many contractors have been awarded contracts for further HIP projects after being penalised for service or quality lapses for earlier HIP projects.

Mr Lawrence Wong: The Housing and Development (HDB) sets quality and service standards for contractors in the execution of Home Improvement Programme (HIP) projects. Based on surveys of precincts which have undergone HIP, at least 90% of residents express satisfaction with the works completed.

From time to time, there are service or quality lapses by the contractors. HDB does not publish the names of these contractors, but it takes strict enforcement action against them. Between 2012 and 2016, 22 contractors were penalised with demerit points, of which seven had an administrative charge imposed on them. Four contractors also performed poorly enough to be restricted from tendering for HDB projects. The tender restriction was lifted only after they showed improvements in performance, and three of them were subsequently successful in tendering for HIP projects.