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ST Forum: Review Contractors' Charges For HDB Flat Extras


Vulcann
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Any bro feel strongly that he kena chop carrot head [knife] by his contractor?

 

From ST Forum:

 

http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/forum-...extras-20121101

 

Review contractors' charges for HDB flat extras

Published on Nov 01, 2012

 

I AM glad a Straits Times' check has revealed that the HDB's main contractors are charging two to three times more for some fittings than what other contractors charge ("New package deal for BTO flat buyers"; last Saturday).

 

I am puzzled by how the Housing Board allowed such a situation to pass.

 

I would have thought that it would have been able to negotiate better prices because of the volume of its orders.

 

It may be understandable if the contractors had ramped up the cost by 10 per cent to 20 per cent owing to the superior quality of their fittings. But by twice or thrice the comparative figure? That is hard to swallow.

 

The contractors offer differing views. The non-HDB-contracted builders say the doors they supply are of similar quality to the ones offered by the HDB's main contractors, but the latter claim that the doors they provide are superior.

 

Even if quality was the difference, does it warrant a price that is two to three times higher? Moreover, where is the proof of their claims?

 

The article also mentioned that some flat buyers have no choice but to use the HDB's contractors, because they cannot afford the down payment required by external contractors. This is a classic example of the vicious circle the less well-off are caught in.

 

In retrospect, there may be another group of earlier buyers who have been similarly overcharged.

 

In January, I raised the matter of the high price of HDB studio flats ("Studio flats"; Jan 31), to which the HDB explained that these flats incorporated fittings ("Studio flats: HDB clears the air"; Feb 9).

 

So is it possible that these studio flats cost more than they should because the HDB's contractors charged marked-up prices for the fittings as well?

 

In fact, buyers of these studio flats have no recourse to using non-HDB contractors because the fittings were bundled into the price of the flat.

 

Joan Chng (Ms)

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Their price is more ex than out side contractors due to the red tapes and many requirement set by the chenghu.... Many private company dont want to take gov job, or they mark up higher due to the requirement set by the individual stateboard.... Hv to undestand that any non compliance, or late in delivery for Gov jobs usually carries a LD unless the contractor have a damn solid reason to ask for extention..

Edited by Tigershark1976
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Neutral Newbie

Their price is more ex than out side contractors due to the red tapes and many requirement set by the chenghu.... Many private company dont want to take gov job, or they mark up higher due to the requirement set by the individual stateboard.... Hv to undestand that any non compliance, or late in delivery for Gov jobs usually carries a LD unless the contractor have a damn solid reason to ask for extention..

 

 

you are absolutely correct

 

personally i use to make a bid for tender in the military in the past

all easy but as the years move on

it became more and more difficult until our profit from a bid become a loss

so we never bid anymore

 

now to bid they want to have quality check by an agency for each and every item ... increase cost

they want to have a quality (QC) person in charge ... so to be accountable if anything goes wrong .... a small company how to afford to employ a QC person just for 1 bid once a year

 

like that mati

 

time to go and fetch my taxi

 

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Their price is more ex than out side contractors due to the red tapes and many requirement set by the chenghu.... Many private company dont want to take gov job, or they mark up higher due to the requirement set by the individual stateboard.... Hv to undestand that any non compliance, or late in delivery for Gov jobs usually carries a LD unless the contractor have a damn solid reason to ask for extention..

 

In the first place everyone has to pay to register as a GeBIZ trading partner in order to tender in government contracts.

 

As you have mentioned, most of their contracts have strict criteria to be fulfilled, stringent requirements to meet and of course the 1,001 authority regulations to comply with so some smaller-sized contractors/vendors simply give public projects a miss due to higher costs associated with all these.

 

Mark-ups is prevalent but if you set your prices too high then chances are you may not get the bid.

 

LD is actually not a penalty but the resulting costs involved in not getting the goods/services the contractor/vendor is supposed to provide. A good example is say to call for a tender to build a small office but if there are delays of handing over this small office, the users may have to continue renting spaces until the small office is ready for occupation and the LD will be imposed to the contractor for all the costs associated to this delay.

 

Reasons for EOT?

 

Each contractors also have their own 1,001-way manual of claiming EOT la... [laugh]

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