Contractor goes bust? HDB BTOs in Bukit Batok, Clementi, Bukit Panjang, Woodlands delayed

Four Build-to-Order (BTO) projects – Sky Vista @ Bukit Batok, Senja Heights and Senja Ridges at Bukit Panjang, Marsiling Grove in Woodlands – and West Coast Parkview, a Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers) replacement site for West Coast Road residents in Clementi – will be delayed as the main contractor has reportedly gone bust.

The contractor, Greatearth Corporation, seems to have run into financial difficulties (despite receiving government assistance and working closely with HDB to explore every possible option to resolve its issues).

All work at these five sites have been suspended since August 20.

Here’s a quick list of the five affected projects and changes to their completion dates:

Several of these projects – such as Senja Heights, Senja Ridges, and Marsiling Grove – are award winners, earning Greatearth accolades, such as the Safety and Health Award Recognition for Projects (SHARP) at the Workplace Safety Health (WSH) Awards in 2018 and 2019, and the HDB Certificate of Commendation for Workplace Safety & Health Officer (for Senja Heights) in 2018. Also, 99.co mentioned Senja Ridges winning an award (Innovative Design) as part of our coverage of the HDB Design Award in 2017.

Based on what we can see on their website, Greatearth’s track record is impeccable. It lists involvement in projects and landmarks like Marina Bay Sands (hotel), Changi Water Reclamation Plant, orchardgateway, Fusionopolis, Mount Elizabeth Hospital, National Library (Bras Basah), and the list goes on.

For public and private housing, it’s developed residential projects from private condominiums, executive condominiums (ECs) to Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS) housing. Notable projects include Gem Residences, The Crest, Ascentia Sky and Kovan Melody; ECs such as Austville Residences, Watercolours and Waterwoods; as well as DBSS housing Park Central@AMK.

The company, comprising of Greatearth Corporation and Greatearth Construction, with its office registered at TechPoint building in Ang Mo Kio, is one of Singapore’s oldest and most established integrated building services companies, with over 150 years of engineering and construction heritage.

While unrelated to the BTO projects’ delay, earlier in May, the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) issued a warning to Greatearth Corporation for failing to get the consent of eight crane operators before disclosing their personal data on the external facade of a construction site.

The investigation and warning came about following a series of “work-related incidents”, resulting in one of the crane operators’ clients, Progressive Builders Private Limited (PBPL) collecting their personal data and sending the information to its Workplace Safety and Health Officer (WSHO). The WSHO then shared the crane operators’ personal data in a private WhatsApp group that included several workplace safety professionals in Singapore.

Among the WSHOs in the WhatsApp group was the WSHO for Greatearth Corporation, who then sent the information to Greatearth Corporation’s safety coordinator, who copied and pasted it onto the facade. The details were visible for about two months.

While it looks like Greatearth’s stroke of bad fortune is unexpected and caught many by surprise, the construction industry overall is undergoing some really tough times.

These days, construction delays are expected due to manpower issues and rising material costs in the sector.

However, losing the main contractor for four different BTO and one SERS project is definitely a major setback for public housing. Earlier in July, National Development Minister Desmond Lee shared that there are no plans to cut back on the supply of Build-To-Order (BTO) flats in 2022, and HDB is on track to launch about 17,000 units this year.

For the five affected projects, HDB will continue to work closely with Greatearth to source for replacement contractors for a smooth transition if they want to meet their new projected completion dates. HDB will also tap on its pool of contingency contractors to continue “housekeeping and vector control” at these worksites until the new contractors are found.

One year ago, HDB had to sack a building contractor for the Waterway Sunrise II BTO project in Punggol, as it failed to meet project milestones. The before and after photographs were very telling and the project was delayed by 12 months.

So, if you’re in the market for a BTO, or you’ve already balloted for one, it is prudent to keep your expectations in check, especially when it comes to advertised completion dates. Factors like manpower resources, border restrictions, material costs, failure to meet milestones or in this case, a contractor’s financial capabilities, can affect your home-ownership plans at any time.

–

Are you affected by this BTO project delay? Let us know in the comments section below or on our Facebook post. 

If you found this article helpful, 99.co recommends BTO is delayed: What are your housing options in the meantime? and HDB sacks BTO building contractor, informs buyers of one-year delay.

–

The post Contractor goes bust? HDB BTOs in Bukit Batok, Clementi, Bukit Panjang, Woodlands delayed appeared first on 99.co.