KOTA KINABALU: Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (RISM) Sabah branch hopes that the government will ensure the inclusion of consulting quantity surveyor companies in the Pan Borneo Highway project in the interest of better transparency, contract management and cost management.
Its chairman Samuel Chong said RISM Sabah members were looking forward to and hoping that the Pan Borneo Highway project would shield surveyors from the worst effects of the economic recession.
Chong said he knew of several consultants who were experiencing difficult times, including a consulting engineers whose office is on a four-day working week since the beginning of this year.
Another engineer, as he said, had not been paid salary for a few months by his company even after completing tender documentation for a major project because the project had been put on hold and thus the company was paid nothing.
“I know an architect who trimmed down his office staff, leaving only his receptionist cum administration stuff.
“All these are signs of more difficult and troubled economic times to come in the near future.”
That said, Chong pointed out that the Pan Borneo Highway would provide plenty of surveying for land titles, road alignments and valuation for land compensation.
“The involvement of quantity surveyor in the Pan Borneo Highway is still very uncertain at the moment.
“In the interest of better transparency, better contract management and better cost management, we hope that the government will ensure the inclusion of consulting quantity surveyor companies in the Pan Borneo Highway project.
“Not everyone is going to have a piece of the cake from the Pan Borneo Highway project. What about the rest?”
Chong said this at the 34th Annual Dinner cum Surveyor’s Nite of RISM Sabah branch on Thursday. The guest of honour for the event was Minister of Special Tasks Datuk Teo Chee Kang.
In light of the impending economic recession, Chong said quantity surveyor members would need to look into new surveying opportunities and offer new services.
“One of the opportunities is to offer management and contractual claim services.
“Quantity surveyors have to evolve and expand our professional role and image to include new surveying opportunities like project management and claims services, so that we can ride over the wave of this next economic recession,” Chong said.
Additionally, Chong said RISM was working on organizing a globally recognized and accredited course in Intellectual Property Valuation early next year, which would open up new doors and opportunities for surveyors.
On the other hand, he said RISM Sabah together with other professional bodies were involved in a special committee led by Teo to look into the amendments to the Land (Subsidiary Title) Enactment 1972.
“The ‘quick-fix’ amendments to the enactment now means that developers must engage geomatic land surveyors very early on in the project so that subsidiary title can be issued together with the occupation certificate.”