Work Ministry Calls For Relevant Ministries, Depts To Expedite Pre-Construction Phase Of Projects

PONTIAN, Feb 15  (Bernama) -- The Works Ministry (KKR) has called on all relevant ministries and departments to hold urgent discussions to expedite the pre-construction phase of government projects nationwide to prevent further delays.

Deputy Works Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Maslan said that as of now, 1,249 projects remain in the pre-construction stage, which includes planning, design and procurement processes.

“Pre-construction means no physical work has begun on site, no contractor has been appointed and no Letter of Acceptance (SST) has been issued. Of these, 855 projects are still in the planning stage, 93 are in the design phase and 229 are in the procurement phase.

“Therefore, the ministrywants all parties involved to convene and expedite the pre-construction process so that implementation on the ground can proceed more quickly and effectively,” he said at a press conference after the groundbreaking ceremony for the Pontian Hospital Additional Building here today.

Ahmad said delays do not occur only during the construction stage, as many projects also face bottlenecks during pre-construction, particularly in the Value Assessment (VA) and Value Engineering (VE) processes.

“This situation cannot be allowed to continue because the people are waiting for essential facilities such as hospitals, schools and basic infrastructure to be completed. If the pre-construction phase is delayed, construction will inevitably be pushed back. We want this process to move faster,” he said.

Meanwhile, he revealed that there are currently 855 cross-ministerial projects under construction, with 255 progressing ahead of schedule, 273 on schedule, 289 behind schedule and 35 classified as critical or sick projects.

--  BERNAMA