Gira speaks during the press conference with IEM Sarawak members. – Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING (Nov 15): The Sarawak government has been urged to clarify the applicability of mandatory professional scale fees for engineers, with a group of industry professionals highlighting the need to uphold standards and fairness within the sector.
The Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) Sarawak Branch expressed concerns over inconsistent enforcement of fee structures and related challenges, including delayed payments and uncompensated additional work performed for clients.
Speaking at a press conference at the Sarawak Legislative Complex today, Tamin assemblyman Christopher Gira Sambang conveyed these issues on behalf of engineers, architects, and quantity surveyors (QS), who had approached him during the ongoing State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting.
“They asked me to bring up a few issues, especially on the scale of fee, and then the delay of payment from the government or private sector, and then of course the extra work, extra job done by the consultant, sometimes it’s not getting payment from the client or the government.
“So they asked me to bring it up during the DUN sitting, so the relevant government agency to reply, to reply, and then after that to follow up with a discussion, discussion with all the stakeholders, all the consultants, whether it’s engineer, architect, or the QS (quantity surveyors), how we going to improve the system,” said Gira.
He emphasised the need for follow-up discussions involving relevant government agencies and stakeholders, including engineers, architects, and QS professionals, to improve the system.
“If the system is not improved, we’re not tackling the system, I think this will jeopardise our profession, and then there’s not attractive jobs, especially for young people, to engineers or to the architect.
“So this is the main reason why we bring this up to the DUN,” he said.
When asked about the overall amount of outstanding payments owed by government agencies, Gira said that the total is substantial but noted that an exact figure is unavailable.
“There’s a substantial amount, there’s a lot, but we don’t have the figure, but the delay of payment not only for during the period, but from previous year until now.
“Each consultant has a different amount outstanding, which complicates the process of determining an overall total,” he said.
Earlier in his debate on the Supply (2025) Bill 2024, Gira urged the relevant ministry, especially the State Financial Secretary (SFS) to look into these issues with the stakeholders, consultants, and relevant government departments and other agencies.
He said that he had also raised these issues during the last DUN session concerning challenges faced by professional consultants in Sarawak, including engineers, architects, and quantity surveyors.
Unfortunately, there has been no response from the relevant government agencies.
“These challenges include the inconsistent application of the Scale of Fees (SOF), and delays in payments from government agencies whereby this situation is unsustainable and jeopardises not only the viability of their businesses but also the quality and timeliness of the services they provide to the government or private sectors.
“Other challenges include consultants being asked to fulfil additional work, or meet extra requirements beyond the original scope of their projects, yet no payment is provided for these additional tasks.
“This not only undermines the viability of their businesses but also creates frustration and demoralisation among professionals who strive to maintain high standards in their work,” he said.
“Hence, I urge the relevant ministry, especially the State of Financial Secretary to look into these issues with the stakeholders, consultants, and relevant government departments and other agencies.
“Failure to act could lead to a loss of talent and resources, which would ultimately jeopardise Sarawak’s long-term development goals,” he added.
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