KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 (Bernama) — In response to the current challenges and trends in digital technology in the construction industry, the Malaysian Bumiputera Contractors Association (PKBM) launched the PKBM BIM Satellite Centre, a digital construction technology training centre in Section 13, Shah Alam.
PKBM president Datuk Dr Azman Yusoff said the training centre was built in collaboration with the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) E-Construct Services Sdn Bhd which also contributed 15 computer units to be used by participants following its training programme.
“Terms such as BIM (Building Information Modelling), IoT (Internet of Things), data analytics, drone mapping and robotic assistance in construction are no longer foreign at the international level. However, we must admit that many contractors in Malaysia are still in the early stages of technology adaptation.
“Not because we cannot afford it, but because access to resources, exposure and support is still not sufficient,” he said in his speech at the PKBM Sixth Annual General Meeting Opening Dinner here tonight which was also attended by Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan.
Azman said the training centre would start operating next month with the initial stage of training being offered to PKBM contractors to reduce dependence on foreign labour.
This is because Azman said digitalisation was no longer an option because it was now survival and Bumiputera contractors must get out of their comfort zone if they wanted to compete professionally.
Meanwhile, he said the construction industry was currently facing challenges and pressures from various angles and as a result, PKBM proposed several suggestions to the government including reducing the tender ‘cut-off’ margin from 15 per cent to 10 per cent in line with the current market price reality.
“We also hope that the VOP (Variation of Price) mechanism is reinstated for existing government projects to deal with the sudden increase in raw material prices, so that the increase in the price of goods can be balanced and thus prevent projects from being sick and failing to be completed.
“The collaboration between CIDB and the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) is seen as very effective in monitoring the prices of construction materials to avoid manipulation and market price volatility,” he said.
Meanwhile, Azman also hopes that more allocations will be given to small contractors for them to generate their income in the 2026 Budget which will be presented in October.
— BERNAMA
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