{"id":114575,"date":"2020-02-27T10:46:13","date_gmt":"2020-02-27T03:46:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/covid-19-outbreak-has-taken-toll-on-construction-firms\/"},"modified":"2020-02-27T11:03:57","modified_gmt":"2020-02-27T04:03:57","slug":"covid-19-outbreak-has-taken-toll-on-construction-firms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/covid-19-outbreak-has-taken-toll-on-construction-firms\/","title":{"rendered":"COVID-19 outbreak has taken toll on construction firms"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nShortages of workers and materials because of the virus has impacted construction deadlines for projects.\u00a0
\nWith the coronavirus outbreak causing supply chain disruptions and labour shortages, some construction firms in Singapore are starting to seek deadline extensions for their projects.
\nEarlier in the month, the Ministry of Manpower required all work pass holders with travel history to China in the past 14 days to secure approval from authorities before entering Singapore as part of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. Thereafter, the returning workers will be placed on a 14-day leave of absence.
\nWith the reduction of flights to and from China, the new requirements slowed the return of Chinese workers, aggravating the existing manpower crunch within the construction sector, noted industry players.
\n\u201cEven before COVID-19, there\u2019s already a shortage of workers as the industry, which was in a downturn previously, slowly recovers and is seeing more construction projects,\u201d said Kenneth Loo, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of Straits Construction Singapore.
\n\u201cThese (new rules) have only aggravated the shortage.\u201d
\nTeambuild Construction Group said it suffered a \u201csignificant impact\u201d considering that most of its workers with expertise in areas like reinforced concrete works, come from China, reported CNA.
\nAdding to the firm\u2019s manpower woes, the number of Indian and Bangladeshi workers requesting to return home also increased following news that five workers from Bangladesh tested positive for COVID-19.
\nThen there is also the issue of late delivery of machinery as well as raw materials like steel coils and tiles as factories in China that were closed for an extended period following the Chinese New Year have been slow to restart.
\nIn fact, almost two-thirds of the respondents at a Singapore Contractors Association Limited (SCAL) survey said their supplies of equipment and materials were \u201cseverely or very severely affected\u201d.
\nProperty price growth: Which districts had the highest price psf growth?
\nConstruction firms also have to contend with face mask shortage, including the N95-type masks which workers wear as part of their protective gear, said Ng Yek Meng, President of SCAL.
\nMoreover, 73% of survey respondents indicated that the virus outbreak severely impacted their cash flow as work at construction sites slowed down.
\nWith this scenario, industry players are concerned about potentially missing their deadlines.
\nTeambuild Construction Group revealed that it is \u201ccurrently seeking all possible assistance\u201d for an extension of time (EOT) due to the outbreak\u2019s \u201csubstantial\u201d impact to the company.
\nIt was previously reported that some local construction companies are seeking legal advice on invoking the force majeure clause.
\nForce majeure is any unexpected external circumstance that prevents a party from complying with its contractual obligations.
\nSpring Tan, partner at Withers KhattarWong, said four clients had made preliminary inquiries \u201cnot specifically on the option of invoking force majeure but whether they can get EOT to complete their projects\u201d.
\n\u201cOur clients tell us that they are not feeling the full brunt of the impact at this moment as the situation is still evolving, and for now owners (and) developers are still understanding,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cHowever, construction firms are and should be exploring their options in case the situation worsens.\u201d
\nLooking for a property in Singapore? Visit\u00a0PropertyGuru\u2019s\u00a0Listings,\u00a0Project Reviews\u00a0and\u00a0Guides.
\n\u00a0
\nVictor Kang, Digital Content Specialist at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email\u00a0victorkang@propertyguru.com.sg
\n
\nSource : proppertyguru.com.sg\/Property Market
\nRead more…COVID-19 outbreak has taken toll on construction firms<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shortages of workers and materials because of the virus has impacted construction deadlines for projects.\u00a0...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-property-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p75ss1-tNZ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":122976,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/construction-firms-urged-to-move-decisively-away-from-labour-intensive-construction-methods\/","url_meta":{"origin":114575,"position":0},"title":"Construction firms urged to move decisively away from labour intensive construction methods","date":"November 3, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"\r Extending permits and making it easier to obtain skills certification are two ways the Singapore government have tried to alleviate the manpower crunch. The Ministry of National Development (MND) has urged construction firms to reduce their reliance on migrant workers, as well as to \u201cmove decisively away from labour-intensive\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/construction-workers-singapore.jpg?fit=820%2C410&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":115889,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/construction-projects-may-be-delayed-by-months\/","url_meta":{"origin":114575,"position":1},"title":"Construction projects may be delayed by months","date":"April 27, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\r Faced with limited manpower, material shortages and the circuit breaker measures, construction projects are set to be pushed back.\u00a0\u00a0 Contractors expect construction projects to be delayed by months even as they try to speed up work after the lifting of the circuit breaker measures. This comes as they would\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":123932,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/foreign-worker-levy-rebates-waiver-for-some-employers-extended-until-march-2022\/","url_meta":{"origin":114575,"position":2},"title":"Foreign worker levy rebates, waiver for some employers extended until March 2022","date":"December 22, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"\r About 15,000 firms will benefit from the foreign worker levy rebates\u00a0which have been extended until March 2022. Some of the employers in Singapore will have a reason to cheer as foreign worker levy rebates and waivers are extended into next year amid the continuing effects of the pandemic. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/construction-workers-singapore.jpg?fit=820%2C410&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":117140,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/more-than-19000-suspended-home-renovation-projects-given-green-light-to-resume\/","url_meta":{"origin":114575,"position":3},"title":"More than 19,000 suspended home renovation projects given green light to resume","date":"June 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\r BCA noted that the resumption of renovation works will depend on the companies\u2019 availability of supplies and manpower. The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) on Saturday (13 June) announced that over 19,000 suspended home renovation projects have been given the approval to resume work. New home renovation works as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":122232,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/lawsuits-brewing-for-contractors-as-covid-19-legal-relief-ends\/","url_meta":{"origin":114575,"position":4},"title":"Lawsuits brewing for contractors as COVID-19 legal relief ends","date":"September 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"\r On 30 September 2021, the relief period under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act will end, which may lead to many SMEs facing financial distress and affecting the sector at large. Contractors in Singapore may face contractual disputes next month as the temporary relief provided under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/construction-building.jpg?fit=820%2C410&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":114151,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/virus-outbreak-to-affect-projects-using-ppvc-method\/","url_meta":{"origin":114575,"position":5},"title":"Virus outbreak to affect projects using PPVC method","date":"February 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\r Some builders expect projects using pre-fabricated pre-finished volumetric construction (PPVC) method to be affected by the novel coronavirus (nCoV) outbreak as some Chinese factories remain closed until further notice, reported The Business Times. PPVC method involves the construction of entire units within factory conditions before they are assembled on-site\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Property News"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114575"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114575\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}