Dec 2015

THE PROJECT MANAGER

Newsletter of the Society of Project Managers, Singapore www.sprojm.org.sg MCI (P) 153/08/2014

HIGHLIGHTS PMS TO RAISE PRACTICE STANDARD

Obituary:
Our Tributes to
Honorary Fellow
Mr Kwek Leng Joo
03

Minister Masagos Zulkifli addressing Annual Dinner guests

Project Management Project managers in the built environment
Jurong Rock Caverns industry are to raise professional practice
06 standard to meet more demanding and
complex projects. This was the call and
encouragement of Minister Masagos at
the SPM 20th Annual Dinner held on 25
September 2015.
Guest-of-Honour Masagos noted that
projects in Singapore were getting larger
SPM-UniSIM Professional and more complex in nature. Sharing from
Talk Series his personal involvement in the Tampines
11 06 integrated town hub project, he said
that in large projects, many professional
disciplines and stakeholder groups had
to work closely together. While each
group had their unique requirements and
demands, coordination and integration
became more critical to project success.
On top of that, construction professionals
had to satisfy a multitude of requirements
Book Launch cum of various stakeholders higher
Seminar 2015 12 productivity, quality standard, sustainability
and safety requirements, and amidst
budget constraints. The Minister stressed
that the Project Managers role was ever
more important and critical. The PM
had to integrate ideas and efforts of the
various professional disciplines to harness
innovative and productive solutions for
effective outcomes.
He was heartened to note that SPM
was in the process of developing
an accreditation scheme for project
managers to raise the standard of project
management practice and to enable
competent professional project managers
to be recognised with certification.
This would undoubtedly enhance the
professional image of project managers.
... continue on page 03 & 05 for more about
the SPM Annual Dinner and full text of
GOH's speech

14th China International Construction Project Management

Summit Meeting
The 14th China International Construction Project Management Summit
Meeting, organized by the China Construction Industry Association
(CCIA), was held from 10 to 12 October 2015 in the City of Shijiazhuang,
China. The theme for this Summit Meeting was Advance of PPP
Concession Model & Development of Construction Industry.
The Summit was well attended by more than 800 project
management professionals from all over China, many of them
were the winners of this years International / National
Outstanding Project Manager Awards.
SPMs delegation was led by our President Prof Ting
Seng Kiong. The other 2 members are our past
President Er. Chang Meng Teng and past 2nd
Vice-President Er. Tan Joo Chuah.
From left to right (Er. Tan Joo Chuah, Er. Chang Meng Teng and
Prof Ting Seng Kiong)
>>... continue on page 9
THE PROJECT
MANAGER 01
 SPM Presidents Speech At Annual Dinner 2015
Minister Masagos Zulkifli, Honoured Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
on behalf of the Society of Project Managers, I welcome all of you to
our 20th anniversary celebration.
SPM continues to be active in organizing seminars, talks and
professional courses for our members. Besides our regular lunchtime
talks, we have been holding evening talks at UniSIM as well. These
had been very successful.
I hope that those of you who travel to Hong Kong or work there for
any projects are making full use of our MOU with HKIPM which
allows reciprocal benefits to our SPM members.
Our partner in China, the Construction Project Management
Committee of the China Construction Industry Association is having
its 14th China International Construction Project Management Summit
in ShiJiaZhuang from 10 to 12 October 2015. SPM will be organizing
a delegation to go for the summit and you are welcomed to join us.
This year, SPM is chairing the Construction Industry Joint Committee
(CIJC). It is appropriate that SPM should take a giant step forward for
project management.
Currently, any person can call himself a Project Manager and
practise project management in the Built Environment/Construction
Industry. Unlike the practice of Architects and Professional Engineers,
the professional practice of Project Managers is not legislated.
Developers and consumers of Project Management (PM) services
find the quality and standard of PM services vary greatly. There is
a need to have a good industry standard stipulated for the practice
and provision of PM services in Singapore. The Society of Project
Managers (SPM) wants to lead the way to have an accreditation
scheme to assess and certify qualified practitioners in Project
Management.
The primary purpose of the PM Accreditation scheme is to raise the
practice standard of Project Management in the Built Environment/
Construction Industry and to provide consistency in PM practice with
a baseline performance benchmark.
The key benefits of the PM Accreditation scheme are:
Assurance of quality professional PM service
Industry recognition of PM competency of a PM practitioner
Portability of the recognised PM competency
Good and consistent professional PM services
These can help propel higher productivity in project delivery and
contribute to the overall productivity in the industry. This will raise the
profile of Project Managers.
The SPM framework for the PM accreditation system consists of
four pillars: PM Standard, Training, Assessment and Recognition (in
short, STAR).
Standard: SPM has determined to use the Global Alliance for
Project Performance Standards (GAPPS) Global PM standards as the
reference competency standard for accreditation. The PM standards
will be customized and made relevant to our local industry. It would
SPM CHAIRS CIJC
SPM took over the chair of CIJC from July 2015 for a one year term.
CIJC or the Construction Industry Joint Committee comprises eight key
institutions/associations of the construction industry:
Association of Consulting Engineers Singapore (ACES)
Institution of Engineers Singapore (IES)
Real Estate Developers' Association of Singapore (REDAS)
Singapore Contractors Association Limited (SCAL)
Singapore Institute of Architects (SIA)
Singapore Institute of Building Limited (SIBL)
Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers (SISV)
Society of Project Managers (SPM)
In the mid 1990s under the ambit of the Construction 21 study, a need
for immense expansion and progress was identified for Singapore's
construction industry in the 21st century. CIJC was thus formed in 1997
02 THE PROJECT
MANAGER
help
propel
the local
PM
practice
standard forward to benefit the industry as a whole.
Training: Training courses will be in place to enable practitioners,
who are still short of the standards, to level up their knowledge and
competency skills, to bridge practice competency gaps to qualify for
accreditation.
Assessment: Methodology and system are being developed for
robust assessment of the PM competency level of individuals who
wish to be accredited to receive a certificate of quality.
Recognition: The accreditation scheme is an industry-led certification
of individual PM professionals. There need to be industry support
and demand for project managers to be certified for good practice
standard and quality. We are looking to government authorities and
procurement entities as well as private sector developers for strong
support and recognition of the scheme. This is critical. With the
demand, the PM practitioners who take pride in their profession will
have the added incentive to raise their practice standard to achieve
certification.
We have formed the Project Management Accreditation Board and
we plan to launch the accreditation scheme in the first quarter of
2016.
In the meantime, we welcome any comments and volunteers who
would join our team in finalizing the details of such a scheme for our
profession in the coming few months.
Let me now thank the dinner organizing committee chaired by
Bernard Ho and his team comprising of Ruby, Swee Yee, Raymond
and Patrick. As the evening progresses, I am confident you will
appreciate what they have done as you enjoy the evening.
On behalf of the council, I wish all of you good health and every
success in the years ahead.
Enjoy the dinner and the friendships.
Dr Ting Seng Kiong
President (11th Council)
Society of Project Managers
to align the goals of the different pillars of the construction
stakeholders to synergize their effort and partner with
the government agencies to build our industry to greater
heights.
CIJC meets bi-monthly to discuss strategies and initiatives
to engage with the government agencies and other
stakeholders in our industry. The chairmanship is a one
year term by rotation among the members associations.
SPM is honored to chair the CIJC for the term 2015-2016.
SOCIETY OF PROJECT MANAGERS
ANNUAL DINNER 2015
The Society of Project Managers celebrated its 20th anniversary in
conjunction with Singapores SG50 celebration on 25 September
2015 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. The event was attended by about 700
guests and members.
Dr Ting Seng Kiong, President of the SPM, welcomed all to the
evenings celebrations.
The guest of honour of the evening was Mr Masagos Zulkifli, the
Minister in Prime Ministers Office and Second Minister for Home
Affairs & Foreign Affairs.
In an effort in Rebranding of the Construction Industry, SPM handed
out 3 Book Prize awards to students from NUS for MSc Project
Management Programme, NTU for MSc International Construction
Management and Sim University for Bachelor of Building and
Project Management.
This year, the Society also organised the bi-annually Outstanding
Project Manager (OPM) Award 2015. The winner for the Senior
Category is Er Teo Tiong Yong from Jurong Town Corporation (JTC)
for his involvement and successful completion of the Jurong Rock
Caverns (JRC) project.
As part of SPMs corporate social responsibility, the Society has again
made a generous donation to the Singapore Childrens Society.
Amidst the celebratory mood of the evening, the sumptuous
8-course dinner and the music provided by the live band and
performances by JESS SHOWBIZ, it was an opportune time to catch
up with fellow professionals in the industry. Old friendships were
rekindled and new contacts were made as member and guests
mingled among each other. Music, performances, good food and
great company created a convivial atmosphere for the evening. All
too soon, the evening came to an end. As the good byes, were said,
it was time to look forward to next years Dinner.

Obituary
SPM are shocked and deeply saddened by the
sudden death of our Honorary Member, Mr
Kwek Leng Joo who is the Deputy Chairman
and Executive Director of property giant, City
Developments Limited on Monday, 16 November
2015 at the age of 62.
Words alone would not be sufficient to depict
his distinguished life and career, but Mr Kwek would be fondly
remembered as someone who had an illustrious career and was
recognised not only for his high quality developments, but also his
equally unflinching zeal in spearheading the companys Corporate
Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability initiatives.
He was President of the Singapore Compact for CSR and was
recently awarded the Presidents Award for the Environment.
All these efforts have established CDL and in turn Singapore on
the global map of Sustainability. Not only was he involved with
CDL / Hong Leong related companies, the late Mr Kwek stood out
as a Community Leader and served as President of the Singapore
Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry from 1993 1997 and
2001 2015. He was the S-Leagues first Chairman as well.
The late Mr Kwek was included in this year's Forbes Heroes of
Philanthropy for his commitment and benevolence in contributing
towards worthy causes.
The late Mr Kwek also served on MediaCorps Board of Directors
between 2004 and 2007 and made significant contributions.
In addition to establishing far reaching contributions to society,
the late Mr Kwek also made significant contributions to the Real
Estate industry. With the same zeal and commitment under his
charge, CDL developed high quality residential and commercial
developments and duly received the accolade of being the
industrys champion for Sustainability and Corporate Social
Responsibility. The Society of Project Managers had acknowledged
his influence on the industry and bestowed upon Mr Kwek the
Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his achievements in 2011.
His devotion to society is indeed inimitable and awe inspiring.
We have lost a dear friend and a champion of life.
In honour and respects of our dear Honarary Fellow, the
late Mr Kwek Leng Joo, the SPM council on behalf of
SPM made a donation of S$5,000 to the inmates' families
support fund as a symbolic gesture of partnership in Mr
Kwek's philanthropic cause.

THE PROJECT
MANAGER 03
 SPM Best Students Awards 2015
At the SPM Annual Dinner 2015, SPM presented awards to the best students from
Masters of Science, Project Management, National University of Singapore; Bachelor
of Building and Project Management, Sim University and Masters of Science,
International Construction Management, Nanyang Technological University. After the
awards presentation, SPM took an opportunity to interview the three winners on their
thoughts and how the awards could assist them in their career.

Ms. Teh Ming Ching

NUS Best Student
Ming Ching was euphoric that her hardwork has gained recognition and was grateful to SPM for the award.
This award will certainly provide her additional motivation to excel by improving her understanding on the
Project Management in keeping the project within time and budget.
When asked of how SPM could reach out to have more members and the view that Project Management
is always understated. She suggested SPM could consider active promotion of SPM activities both at the
institutions of higher learning and industry players, engaging them in exchange of views of project management.
On the view that PM is always understated, she felt that project management should not limit to master
planning, contract and finance management during pre and post construction stage.
It should include the empowerment/leverage on team members to manage the project for successful delivery.

Ms. Chow Chu Xin

Sim University Best Student
Chu Xin was pleasantly surprised to receive the award and this served as a form of encouragement and a
reminder for her to work hard and maintain the highest standards when discharging her duties. She felt it
would open up opportunities for her career advancement.
When asked of how SPM could reach out to have more members, she felt that SPM should collaborate
with industry partners and institutions in orgainising programmes at tertiary institutions to reach out to
more members to create awareness of Project Management.
Chu Xin views Project Management has an important role to play in many industries. Although it may seem like
an easy job to plan and manage projects, but there is more to that. Very often, what is planned might not be
implemented because there maybe hidden constraints that could only be discovered at the implementation phase.
It requires good knowledge, skills and critical thinking to excel in Project Management and basically as Project
Manager, he or she should be in control of the issues that might crop up during the course of implementation.

Ms. Teo Woan Tyng

NTU Best Student
Woan Tyng was surprised to receive the award and expressed her gratitude to NTU to nominate her for this
award. This award was a great form of recognition on her effort in pursing professional advancement in Master
of Science (International Construction Management). She was grateful that the SPM 20th Dinner had given
her opportunities to interact with the practitioners and SPM Committee Council. It had inspired her thought in
pursuing the Project Management Career.
Woan Tyng thought that SPM provided a good platform of sharing information on the latest technologies, project
management experiences and relevant legislation updates. It was a good medium to extend networks among the
industry stakeholders, thus enabling the participants great opportunity in learning and acquiring relevant knowledge
of Project Management.
When asked of how SPM could reach out to have more members, she felt that SPM should actively promote
participation and contribution from the members. She thought through this event of participation and contribution
it would certainly benefit members and recommend their peers to join SPM.

20th Anniversary Magazine Write-up

In conjunction with the Society 20th anniversary celebration, the Publication Committee
completed a 20th Anniversary magazine
In this 20th Anniversary magazine we revisited some relevant activities and people from
different time and perspective. We tried to relive the memories of past events, like Annual
Seminar/Conference, Technical Talk, Annual Dinner, and wisdom and advice of people from
past Societys Presidents, Honorary Fellows, as we celebrate all that the future promises
for the construction industry. The journey of the Society through the years were depicted
by the transformation of its logo, newsletter, working committees and series of courses to
the current pursuit of accreditation of project managers under Global Alliance for Project
Performance Standards (GAPPS). The Societys affiliation in its international alliance through
the various MOUs and commitment to corporate social governance were also captured.
This is a good collection and compilation of the Societys past works and achievements
since its inception in 1995.

04 THE PROJECT
MANAGER
 Guest-Of-Honour's Speech at Annual Dinner
SPEECH BY MR MASAGOS ZULKIFLI, MINISTER IN PRIME MINISTERS OFFICE AND SECOND
MINISTER, MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS AND MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS,
Good evening,
Dr Ting Seng Kiong, President, Society
of Project Managers, Council Members,
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and
gentlemen.
I am told that amongst the guests
here tonight are many construction
professionals. I, myself, was trained as an
Electrical & Electronic Engineer and have
worked in the electrical and electronic
engineering profession for 6 years.
It is indeed heartwarming to be in your
company.
I am indeed delighted to be here tonight
to join you in your 20th Anniversary
celebration; and fortuitously this joyous
occasion coincides with our nations SG50
celebration.
SG50
Over the last 50 years, Singapores
development as a nation is in no small
measure supported by good and efficient
physical infrastructure. On a landmass of
merely 700 square kilometers, building
and infrastructure developments over the
past five decades have been relentless,
but yet organized and systematic. It has
transformed a nondescript landscape
of kampongs and fishing villages into a
modern, thriving and vibrant metropolis;
and propelled our nation from third world
to first world in this remarkably short span
of time.
Moving into the Future
The relentless pace of
Singapores physical
development and
transformation is
expected to
continue unabated.
The projected demand of building and
infrastructure projects is expected to be
$27 billion to $37 billion annually for the
next five years. Public sector projects will
make up just a slightly bigger part of the
pie - at 56%. Construction professional
services and skills will continue to be in
demand.
Raising the profile of Project Managers
Buildings and other physical infrastructures
have been developed through the
concerted efforts of construction
professionals like you - town planners,
architects, civil and structural engineers,
mechanical and electrical engineers,
quantity surveyors, general contractors,
and specialist trade contractors. You may
wonder why I did not mention the project
managers. Surely, these projects would not
have been successfully completed without
the Project Managers bringing together
the efforts and expertise of the different
professionals to bear. Project managers
have played a major part and project
management is key to project success.
Over the last 20 years, SPM have
been promoting the practice of project
management through education, training
and recognition of good practice among
the PM fraternity.
I note too that projects are getting larger
and more complex in nature. Take for
example, the Tampines integrated town
hub development, which I have close
SPM will work with local institutions
involvement as a Member of Parliament. of higher learning, fellow professional
When completed in 2016, the 120,000
associations in the Construction Industry
square metre development will have Joint Committee (CIJC) and BCA Academy
recreational, sporting, community and
to develop relevant courses.
cultural facilities all under one roof.
It will have community club, library, Rebranding the Construction Industry
family medical centre, football stadium,
swimming complex and other sports I would like to conclude with a note on
facilities, retail F&B and a hawker centre.
The project is complex and huge with the important role
multiple users and numerous stakeholders,
with keen community interest and social
the construction
relevance too. The challenges in managing professionals, including
such projects are copious, but not
insurmountable.
the project managers,
In large projects, many professional
would play in shaping
disciplines and stakeholder groups are the future landscape of
involved, each having their somewhat
unique requirements and demands.
Singapore into SG100
Coordination and integration have become and beyond.
more critical to project success.
I note that the built environment sector
Construction professionals have to for the past decade has been experiencing
satisfy a multitude of requirements
from various stakeholders - higher
declining popularity amongst the young in
joining the workforce. Student enrolments
productivity, quality standard, sustainability into courses for construction related
and safety requirements, and amidst disciplines have not been encouraging
budget constraints. The role of the for many years. In this regard, BCA has
Project Manager is ever more important been leading the effort, in partnership with
and critical. He has to integrate ideas the CIJC and the institutions of higher
and efforts of the various professional learning, to rebrand the Construction
disciplines for innovative and productive sector. I note that amongst this years four
solutions to achieve effective outcomes. recipients of the prestigious Presidents
Demanding and complex projects require Scholarship is Ms Clara Lim, from Dunman
good project management. It is imperative High School, who will read Mechanical
that the standard of professional Project Engineering in University College London.
Management practice must be raised to She is the first Presidents Scholar in nine
meet this requirement. I am glad to note years to pursue an engineering degree.
from Dr Ting that SPM is in the process Perhaps, this is a sign that the rebranding
of developing an accreditation scheme effort is already sprouting fruits.
for project managers. With this scheme, As the CIJC chair this year, perhaps it is
competent professional project managers an opportune time for SPM to lead the
will be recognised with certification. This construction professional associations to
will undoubtedly enhance the professional moving the rebranding up another notch.
image of project managers. SPM will draw
from their learning experience with their It leaves me now with the pleasure to
international counterparts in establishing a congratulate SPM on its 20th anniversary.
professional PM practice standard for the I wish all of you an enjoyable evening of
accreditation. Demand for PM training celebrations.
will increase.
THE PROJECT
MANAGER 05
 Project Management: Jurong Rock Caverns
As land is scarce in Singapore, JTC
is always looking at how to optimise
land use creatively. The Jurong Rock
Caverns (JRC) are an innovative
solution to optimise land and create
more industrial space for the energy
and chemicals cluster on Jurong
Island by utilising the underground
rock cavern for the storage of oil.
The Jurong Rock Caverns (JRC) project
is Southeast Asias first commercial
underground rock cavern facility for
liquid hydrocarbons storage. The first
two caverns have been operational since
2014, with the last three caverns being
scheduled for completion by 2016.
Jurong Rock Caverns
Jurong Rock Caverns
JRC is located beneath the Banyan basin
on Jurong Island, Singapores energy and
chemicals hub. Conventionally, above
ground steel storage tanks are built to
store liquid hydrocarbons, but these
tanks occupy large tracts of land. By
utilising subterranean storage spaces,
JRC not only ensures the security of the
products in storage, it also translates to
a savings of approximately 60ha of land
for higher value-added activities, such as
petrochemicals manufacturing activities.
As a commercial underground
storage facility, JRC will complement
and enhance the existing network of
integrated infrastructure on the Island,
and further reinforce Singapores position
as a leading global energy and chemicals
hub. The other advantages of going
underground include lower Health,
Safety and Environmental (HSE) risks.
Most of Singapores man-made
subterranean structures are at most
50m underground. Located 150m below
the ground, JRC is the deepest known
underground public works endeavour
in Singapore to date, making it an
engineering and construction feat. Adding
to this complexity is the challenge of
constructing the caverns 130m beneath
the seabed.
In order to bring this engineering feat
from the drawing board to reality,
JTC assembled an international team
06 THE PROJECT
MANAGER
Package 2
Tunnels and
Caverns
of specialists from SINTEF-Tritech-
Multiconsult Consortium (STM), Package 1
Geostock-Jurong Consultants Access Shafts
Consortium (GK-JCPL) and Hyundai
Engineering and Construction (HDEC)
and Sato Kogyo (SK) to work with
JTCs core team on the project. JTC
also engaged National Technological
University (NTU) and Defence Science
and Technology Agency (DSTA) to carry
out research and provide advice for
the underground excavation works
respectively. All in all, some 280
engineers have worked on this game Package 2 Aboveground and Underground Facilities
changing project, from conceptual
work and planning to construction.
The team has employed many different
construction methods including the drill
and blast method, to build two access
shafts, five nine-storey high caverns,
9km of tunnels, as well as kilometres
of piping networks with supporting
utilities such as a wastewater treatment
plant, various valves pumping systems,
and vapour recovery units etc. In the
process, 3.5 million cubic metres of
rock was removed with kilometres
the consultancy and cavern construction
of pipelines installed. The completed
contracts for all JTCs partners to
caverns will be used to store up to
comply. The good cooperation between
1.47 million m3 of liquid hydrocarbons,
JTC and all partners had overcame these
the equivalent of the capacity of 600
challenges in a very productive way,
Olympic-sized swimming pools.
with the first two caverns completed
Planning works started early in 2001 successfully and operational in July 2014.
when the first two site investigation
One key achievement is the excellent
works and feasibility study were
safety record for this complex and
carried out. The planning works
challenging project. JTC has required
intensified between 2004 and 2006.
in the Tender specification for the
Project Management of Jurong Rock consultancy and construction contracts to
Caverns have a high focus on HSE. Based on this
In order to expedite the implementation strong HSE attitude, JTC implemented
works, the construction of JRC was the JRC HSE Zero Philosophy of zero
split into two stages. Stage 1 involved injury and impact.
the design and construction of two A systematic, continuous establishment
Access Shafts (AS) and the start-up and follow-up of risks and uncertainties
galleries. Stage 2 involved the design and has been performed throughout the
construction of the remaining facilities, project from the planning and design
including the tunnels, five caverns phases to the construction phase. The
and the associated underground and project management team implemented
aboveground works. a comprehensive Risk Management
For this project, besides the various System which ensured that major risks
studies, site investigation work, and and uncertainties were uncovered and
insurance contracts, the following multi- brought to the management's attention
disciplinary contracts were awarded: in due time for corrective action.
1. Project management team (PMT) With the successful implementation
2. Basic Engineering design and of the HSE and Risk Management
Superintending Officer (SO) teams plans, the JRCs accident frequency and
3. Detailed design and construction severity rates were much lower than the
contracts national average.
To manage such a complex project, JTC
worked with the project management
team to implement key requirements
in the project management system.
These requirements were included in
 Design and Construction
of Jurong Rock Caverns
Entry to the caverns is via
the two Access Shafts
(AS), AS1 and AS3. Due
to the sites flat terrain,
vertical shafts were
designed and constructed
to provide entry to the
tunnels and caverns
underground thus utilising
less land as compared
to an access ramp.
AS1 (with a diameter of
25m) and AS3 (with a diameter
of 22m) are 130m deep. They
provide access to the underground
and during construction, allowed
for the removal of excavated
muck from underground.
AS1 is located within the main
aboveground facility area of the
project and provides space for
the installation of equipment and
pipelines to connect between
aboveground and underground
facilities, which include import
and export systems, mechanical,
electrical and instrumentation facilities
and firefighting facilities (with an
escape staircase and fireman lift).
AS3 is used primarily for construction
access. It will eventually be
used as the second permanent
access to the underground area,
providing an alternative escape
route in case of emergency.
There are two levels of tunnels.
The 100m deep operations tunnels
(Level 1) connect the access shafts
to the maintenance chamber located
above each cavern. The 130m deep
access tunnels (Level 0) are used as
temporary access from the two shafts
for the construction of the caverns.
The storage caverns are located at 130m
to 150m below the ground.
Each cavern consists of two storage
Overview of the Jurong Rock
Caverns beneath Banyan Basin
galleries. A typical storage
gallery is 20m wide, 27m
high (nine storeys high) and
340m long with a storage Water Curtain Tunnels Separating
the Individual Caverns
capacity of 165,000 cubic m , 3
equivalent to 64 Olympic-
sized swimming pools.
The caverns are designed project by working with various
to be unlined and located well below stakeholders at the onset to ensure that
the groundwater table, which is JRC would match the requirements of
unprecedented in Singapore. The the manufacturers.
hydraulic containment principle utilises With the successful completion of five
the principle of pressure difference huge nine-storey high caverns lying
between the water saturating the 130m beneath the seabed, Singapore
rock mass around the caverns and will be well positioned to explore more
the pressure inside the caverns. As a underground projects for the future.
precautionary measure, water curtain
galleries consisting of 6m
wide tunnels with 80m
long boreholes drilled at
10m apart are provided to Outstanding Project Manager Award 2015,
enhance the hydraulic Senior Category
pressure outside
Er. Teo Tiong Yong
the caverns. Director, Innovative Space Division
Conclusion JTC Corporation
JTCs mandate involves
creating more usable
space to maximise our
economic potential. Land
will always be scarce in
Singapore, but with human
creativity and ingenuity,
JTC will continue to find
new ways to do more
with less. This drive to
overcome land constraints
led to the idea of going
underground beneath the
seabed to create JRC. Er Teo Tiong Yong is the Director of Innovative Space
The planning and Division of JTC Corporation.
construction of JRC was
Tiong Yong graduated with a Bachelors degree in Civil
rigorous and intense as
Engineering from the National University of Singapore in
it involved the excavation
of caverns 130m beneath 1992. He obtained a Masters degree in Civil Engineering,
the seabed. Beyond the also from the National University of Singapore in 1996. He
technical difficulties, is a Singapore Registered Professional Engineer.
JTC had to consider the Tiong Yong joined JTC in May 2006 as a Senior Principal
commercial viability of the Engineer (Civil & Structural) and later took on a Project
Manager role in Project Management and Contracts
Division (PMCD). Prior to joining JTC, his portfolio included
design and construction of buildings and underground
structures. With his working experience in underground
projects - Mandais Underground Ammunition Facility and
the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System Contract T05 project,
Tiong Yong was tasked to lead the planning and physical
implementation of the Jurong Rock Caverns (JRC) Project.
In his current role as Director of Innovative Space Division,
he oversees the development of both industrial land and
space solutions which includes specialised industrial
buildings, marine infrastructures and underground
developments. In addition, he continues to play the role
of an underground cavern domain specialist to advise and
add value to other potential JTC underground projects.
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MANAGER 07
 SPM 19th Annual General Meeting
Members of the 11th Council elected at the AGM 2015
The Society of Project Managers held its 19th Annual General Meeting on 16
July 2015 at the Singapore Recreation Club Lounge 1883. Members gathered
for networking and catching up over a hearty buffet lunch prior to the AGM
commencement.
On behalf of the President, Dr Ting Seng Kiong, who was on an urgent oversea
business engagement, 1st Vice President, Mr Yip Kim Seng, conveyed Dr Tings
apologies and delivered his message to the meeting. He highlighted a few
activities involving the development of international relations with other overseas
Project Management organizations. He also mentioned many talks/seminars/
President's AGM Address
I would like to sincerely apologize for not being able to be
present at this AGM. Due to a last minute urgent business
engagement, I have to be away.
I want to thank the members of the SPM council and the
various working committees for the support and time they
have given to promote the objectives of the Society.
Total membership of the Society as of June 2015 stands
at 400 comprising 5 Honorary Fellows, 64 Fellows, 298
Ordinary Members and 33 Associate Members.
During the past year 2014/2015, SPM had continued our
engagement with our MOU partners both internationally
and locally.
We had been very active in the Global Alliance for Project
Performance Standards (GAPPS) workshop sessions held
at various avenues of member organizations.
A delegation of four attended the 13th China International
Construction Project Management Summit in Hangzhou
from 12 to 13 October 2014 organized by the Construction
Project Management Committee (CPMC) of the China
Construction Industry Association.
We were not only involved in the inaugural Asia Pacific
conference in Beijing from 29 to 30 November 2014
organized by the Asia Pacific Federation of Project
Management (apfpm) but also the IPMA research
conference in Tianjin from 1 to 2 December 2014.
On 10 April 2015, we signed an MOU with the HKIPM.
This allows our members reciprocal benefits with HKIPM.
Our members can attend their events and functions at
similar costs as their own members.
08 THE PROJECT
MANAGER
courses held for our members. The President thanked
the Council members and the various working
committees for their support and the time they had
given to promote the objectives of the Society. [Full
text of the Presidents message is given in the article
below.]
Assistant Honorary Secretary, Ms Audrey Tee
presented the Annual Report and Assistant Honorary
Treasurer, Ms Pauline Sim presented the audited
accounts. A proposal to amend clause 2.2 of the
Constitution was explained and approved. Essentially,
the amendment sought to make clear the provision to
empower SPM to carry out professional accreditation
programmes and activities for individual professional
project managers leading to certification. Two new
honorary auditors were elected: Mr Benedict Tan and
Mr Tong Chong Heong.
Besides the usual agenda, this year happened to be
an election year for a new 11th Council (2015-2017).
The results were validated and witnessed by the 10th
Council with no objection from those present. The new
11th Council has five new faces, namely Mr Kenneth
Loo, Mr Ng Cheng Huat, Mr Jonathan Shek and Prof
Tan Teng Hooi and Mr Teoh Wooi Sin. After the AGM,
the new 11th Council took the opportunity to express
their gratitude to those who have voted and given their
support to them with the rest of the members.
The Society has been and will be actively conducting
talks and professional courses for members. I hope all of
you had been able to attend the lunch time talks that we
organized in the past year. We have also started organizing
evening talks at UniSIM to reach not only to members but
also to students so as to promote our profession.
SPM has just conducted our 10th run of the course on
Project Management for Professionals of the Building &
Construction Industry with BCA Academy from 8 April to 29
May 2015.
We are holding a book launch on 31 July. This will be on the
Singapore Public Sector Construction Contract. I hope all of
you can attend.
For this coming year, we are going to focus strongly on
accreditation of project managers. SPM will develop a PM
accreditation scheme. So lookout for the launch of this.
Our annual dinner will be at the Ritz Carlton on 25
September 2015.
I look forward to your continued support and for more ideas
on how we can make our Society even better.
Thank you.
Dr Ting Seng Kiong
President
Society of Project Managers
Judging Session for the 14th International
Outstanding Project Manager Awards
on 8 Jul 2015 in Nanjing, China
The judging event was held to select the outstanding project
managers. The 14th CICPM summit was a conference and an
occasion to give out the awards.

The China Construction Industry Association (CCIA) and

Construction Project Management Committee (CPMC) of
the Peoples Republic of China have been awarding the
International Outstanding Project Manager Awards to
deserving Project Managers in China for the last 13 years.
They are now in the process of evaluating the candidates for
the 14th International Outstanding Project Manager Awards.

As part of the evaluating process for the Awards, there is

a Presentation cum Q&A Session to evaluate and test the
candidates ability in presentation and their command of
English. This years Q&A Session was held on 8 Jul 2015 in
Nanjing, China.
The judges encouraging the candidates. Mr. Tan Joo Chuah
Mr. Tan Joo Chuah, SPMs Official Representative for the
(front row, 3rd from left). Mr. Wu Tao (front row, 4th from left)
Peoples Republic of China and past Vice President, was
invited to be one of the Judges for this Presentation cum Q&A
Session. Mr. Wu Tao, the Vice Chairman and Secretary-General
of China Construction Industry Association (CCIA) was the
Chief judge, together with other 5 eminent judges.

There were a total of 17 candidates attended this Q&A

Session. They have been shortlisted from hundreds of
applicants from the various provinces and cities in China.

Following the presentation, Mr. Tan Joo Chuah gave his

comments on the performance of the candidates and
provided advices to them on their presentation materials and
communication skills.

The Q&A Session was successfully completed and the results

of the Awards will be announced in due course. The Awards
will be presented to the successful candidates in October this
year during the 14th China International Construction Project
Management Summit to be held in Shijiazhuang, China.
The candidates together with the judges. Mr. Tan Joo Chuah (front row,
7th from left). Mr. Wu Tao (front row, 6th from left)
< < ...from page 01

14th China International Construction

Project Management Summit Meeting
As part of the program, the Summit participants visited Xibaipo,
a historically significant place where Chairman Mao and his
senior colleagues were staying and working out their battle
plans. The participants were also treated to a high standard
cultural performance at the end of the Summit meeting.

During the Summit, SPMs delegation also held a meeting with

Mr. Wu Tao, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of CCIA, and
his team to discuss how the 2 organizations can have more
collaboration. One of the proposals discussed was for both
parties to jointly work out a training course (to be conducted both
in Singapore and China) to train the project managers from both
countries. Mr. Wu is very supportive of this initiative and both
parties agreed to follow up to work out the details of this training
course. This is the beginning of more collaboration to come
between the 2 organizations.
The opening session of the Summit

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MANAGER 09
 from the Editorial Team...
Looking Forward...
You can look forward to the following in
the coming issues:
Dear Readers,
Design for Safety (DFS)
Wishing you and your family
Overview of DFS Regulations
DFS from a Practising DFSP Viewpoint
Merry Christmas &
A Happy New Year!
Calling for feature Articles The Editorial Team
Mr Teoh Wooi Sin (Chairman)
and Sponsorship!
Mr Justin Boon
Mr Yip Kim Seng (Advisor) Mr Lee Kok Boon
Mr Tan Kok Siong (Advisor) Mr Manish Banga
Dear Readers, Mr Carlson Ng Mr Shaun Yeo
We invite you to contribute articles of Project Mr David Cheong
Management interest so that this could be shared with
and learnt by the project management fraternity.
We also invite you and your esteemed company to
place an advertorial under our sponsorship scheme.
The cost of sponsorship is $3,000 for one full page or
$2,000 for a half page. Your advertorial can be in the
form of a feature article such as a write-up on a project or
projects undertaken by the sponsor or on any subject of
project management interest and practice.
You can convey your interest to
societyofprojectmanagers@gmail.com
We sincerely looking forward to your
contributions and support.

Editorial Team

Note: No part of this newsletter shall be reproduced

without the written permission of the Publisher, Society of
Project Managers. The views of the writers expressed in the
newsletter may not necessarily represent the corporate views
of the Society and no liability is accepted in relation thereof.

SPM-UniSIM Professional Talk Series - BCA and Dragages

SPM-UniSIM Professional Talk was held on 04 June 2015 at UniSIM Campus jointly
organized by SPM and UniSIM. One of the objectives of SPM for the series talk was
to promote practice and knowledge of Project Management in the Built Environment
Industry. Besides engaging with professionals and practitioners of PM, and other allied
disciplines like Architects, Engineers, Quantity Surveyors and Facilities Managers, we
feel that it is equally important to interact with, and tap the minds of the academia
and engage the students in this field. Together with UniSIM, SPM wants to create a
platform for students and faculties to interact with industry practitioners.
Prof Cheong Hee Kiat with Dr. John Keung,
In the second talk series, SPM and UniSIM had invited Dr. John Keung, Chief Executive CEO, BCA and Ms Audrey Perez,
Officer of the Building and Construction Authority, Singapore, to give an insight on the Dragages Singapore Pte Ltd
upcoming plans and directions for the construction industry, and Ms. Audrey Perez
from Dragages Singapore Private Limited to share some key pointers that had helped
Dragages to successfully deliver a series of complex and large scale projects.

Overall the series talk benefitted the participants in understanding the vision of the
Construction 2020, challenges and how these could overcome by team by putting
the right attitude of the Project team members, providing efficient resources, develop
culture for safety, focus on the well-being of the workers on site, making the people
proud of what they are doing, motivated, hearing the problem at worker level, thinking
ahead of the schedule, do things first time correctly and not being a complaining
baby.
Dr. Ting Seng Kiong, SPM President giving his
welcome address

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SPM Book Launch cum Seminar - The Singapore Public Sector Construction Contract

Chow Kok Fong presenting the Honourable Justice Quentin Loh Q&A session in progress
a copy of his new book

SPM organized the seminar together with the book launch on 31 July 2015 at Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel. The 2015 Seminar
focus was on Improving Construction Delivery with the PSSCOC and Contractor Selection Strategy for Public Sector Projects with
the launch of new book The Singapore Public Sector Construction Contract which provides a clause-by-clause commentary on the
articles and conditions of 7th edition of the Public Sector Standard Conditions of Contract by Mr. Chow Kok Fong

Mr. Seah Choo Meng shared insights about the Contractor selection strategy for Public Sector Projects and how the Planning and
Construction Management (PCM) together with Architect, Engineers and QS could overcome the challenges faced during selection
of the contractor. And by having closer review of the participating teams earmarked for the project. He shared the following factors
that should be considered in the Contractor selection strategy:

a) Unusually low pricing should be carefully scrutinised and analysed.

b) Contractors understanding and responses to Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) should be important criteria in the assessment
c) ECI is a good gauge of the contractors competence and keenness, also illustrate his programming methodology,
constructability and buildability, alternate design / methods of construction and planning experience
d) Contractors need to strengthen the management of sub-contractors (nominated / domestic).
e) Many main contractors do not keep a watchful presence to ensure works under the sub-contractors are aligned with the
overall requirements and timelines of the main contract.
f) Contractors should outline the management processes of downstream activities relating to subcontractors and summary of
activities be updated at regular intervals.
g) Make it a point to visit running / past projects, locally and overseas, talk to relevant parties involved.
h) For better participation and fairer treatment, clients should consider compensation for the unsuccessful tenderers efforts
as practiced in other countries. Usually compensation is considered for the runner ups (2nd, 3rd, 4th).
In addition, he shared that the Employers and Consultants need to improve / enhance on services scope as construction projects
become integrated in design and are higher in construction values, hence the demand for higher level of skills. He also shared about
the current shortages of competent site management staff, Architects, Engineers, QS and PMs and the construction industry must
re-organize and re-engineer our skills set as it is not easy to train PMs let alone the PCMs overnight.

Mr. Christopher Chuah shared about the Contractual Terms Relating to Project Delivery from Public Sector Standard Conditions of
Contract (7th Edition July 2014) related to main provision which impacts Construction Methods / Programme and Time.

Mr. Eugene Tan shared about the When the Contractor Fails: When is it time to Terminate? He shared about the contractual clauses
and "can the Employer terminate and should the Employer terminate?". As a conclusion he shared about the five signs that Contractor
may be heading towards insolvency

a) Schedules dont make sense

b) Frequent changes of Key Personnel
c) Payment Applications consistently dont add up
d) Excessive applications for claims
e) Suppliers and Subcontractors dont get paid
In the end was the Book Launch The Singapore Public Sector Construction Contract and review of the Book by Mr. Mohan Pillay
identifying aspects of the book which are particularly important for each constituency in the industry. The book provides a clause-by-
clause commentary which itself will serve as an authoritative source of reference to everyone in the industry who uses this contract
form. More importantly it points to how vital Issues arising from this standard form have been resolved in practice. This latest book
comes at an opportune time to form the development of a productivity-centric construction procurement process in the public sector.

The Official Launch of book was by The Honourable Justice Quentin Loh one of the most highly respected of our High Court
judges who had practiced extensively in construction law and disputes before his elevation to the bench.

The participants benefitted from the seminar and the panel discussion by Chairman Mr. Vikram Nair together with panelists Mr. Seah
Choo Meng; Mr. Christopher Chuah, Mr. Eugene Tan & Mr. Chow Kok Fong. Participants also raised questions related to Extension
of Time (EOT) during the panel discussion and its related conditions of contract.

12 THE PROJECT
MANAGER Publisher: Society of Project Managers | Printer: Toppan Security Printing Pte. Ltd.