By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Nov 15: The Sarawak government has been urged to address critical issues faced by professional consultants in Sarawak, including engineers, architects, and quantity surveyors (QS) in terms of the inconsistent application of scale of fees, delays in payments and unpaid extra work.
On behalf of the Institute of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) Sarawak Branch, Tamin assemblyman Christopher Gira Sambang called for greater engagement between professional consultants and the relevant government agencies, warning that failure to address systemic issues could demoralise the professionals and undermine the profession.
“This matter is under the Ministry of Finance and New Economy; under the State Financial Secretary (SFS).
“Thus, we want the SFS to respond to our demand and needs,” he told a press conference after debating in support of the Supply (2025) Bill 2024 in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) sitting today.
Meanwhile, William Tan, on behalf of engineers in Sarawak, explained that the first concern is the government’s failure to adhere to the mandatory scale of fees, which professionals are required to follow.
He emphasised the need for clarification from the government on whether or not the scale of fees should be followed, especially since the government, as the largest client, does not comply with it.
The second issue is the delayed payment terms. Tan explained that consultants often face significant payment delays, with some projects taking up to one or two years before payment is received, depending on the project.
The third issue relates to additional work. Due to developments in 2021, consultants have been asked to undertake extra tasks beyond the original scope of work, but these additional tasks are not compensated.
“We are here to urge the Sarawak government to open the door for us so that we can talk to them.
“We hope that there will be a task force committee to be formed so that we work together for the betterment, not only us (engineers) but for the betterment of the Sarawak,” he emphasised. — DayakDaily
