Reducing Hard Copy Submission of Documents for Design and Construction Contracts in Government Tenders
Ministry of FinanceSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns reducing hard copy requirements for design and construction tenders and whether agencies can share soft copies to minimize physical submissions. Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked if the Government would lead by example in eliminating these requirements during tender processes and project reviews. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat highlighted that GeBIZ and CORENET already facilitate electronic submissions for most procurement and regulatory tasks. He explained that hard copies are only requested when essential for reviewing large technical drawings, with such requirements clearly specified in tender documents. Furthermore, the Building and Construction Authority is developing a one-stop digital shopfront allowing project stakeholders to submit a single building information model for collective agency review.
Transcript
103 Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) whether the Government will consider setting the example to reduce or eliminate the submission requirement for hard copies in design and construction tender contracts; and (b) whether different departments or agencies from the same Ministry can share soft copies submitted instead of requesting for excessive number of hard copies in each project review.
Mr Heng Swee Keat: Government tenders are conducted online via the GeBIZ procurement system, which has been accepting electronic submissions since 2003. We have progressively enhanced the bandwidth and file size limit of GeBIZ to allow larger files and drawings to be submitted. Almost all tender proposals, including those for design and construction tenders, are submitted online today. For regulatory clearance, the Government has also required all submissions for construction projects to be done electronically through the Construction and Real Estate Network (CORENET) since 2001.
As construction projects often involve the review of very large technical drawings, some agencies may request hardcopies to facilitate tender evaluation and onsite discussion. This is done only if necessary when there is no alternative. These requirements are stated upfront so that consultants and contractors can price them into their bids.
The Government has been working towards full digitalisation of our workflows and processes. MOF has been conducting service journeys to make procurement more seamless for both agencies and suppliers. BCA is developing a one-stop digital shopfront for regulatory approval, where project stakeholders just need to submit a single building information model online for collective review by regulatory agencies.
We will continue to drive digitalisation to improve productivity and environmental sustainability.