30 construction firms expected to train with Boston Consulting to boost productivity: Chee Hong Tat

Published Oct 16, 2026, 08:00 PM

Updated Oct 16, 2026, 08:00 PM

About 30 built environment firms will work with Boston Consulting Group under LIFT from November 2026 to improve lean construction, productivity and teamwork.

Lean construction helps improve productivity and collaboration in projects, and Gammon Singapore used it to reduce weeks of delay and avoid costly rework.

The Government is also easing approvals, expanding robotics and automation support, and investing in workers through grants, training and job redesign.

SINGAPORE – About 30 built environment firms are expected to work with global management consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG) over the next two years in an initiative to increase productivity and collaboration in projects .

Starting in November 2026, the lean implementation and field transformation (LIFT) initiative will help participating firms redesign jobs and build capabilities.

Contractors, subcontractors, developers, design consultancies and others in the sector will receive support through live coaching to deploy lean methods to improve team coordination and streamline workflows.

Speaking at the Singapore Contractors Association’s (SCAL) annual dinner on Oct 16, National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat outlined three priorities for the built environment sector: improving productivity, better organising and delivering of projects, and investing in people to improve talent attraction and retention.

Even as the sector faces manpower and resource constraints, Chee pointed to the need to deliver “the ambitious pipeline of projects well” – from HDB BTOs and MRT lines to major undertakings such as Changi Airport Terminal 5 and the Long Island project.

“We must find better ways to build, deploy manpower more productively, and reduce unnecessary red tape, while upholding high standards of safety and quality,” he said.

There is more that can be done to organise and deliver projects better, the minister noted.

“This is where lean construction can make a real difference,” he said.

“Lean construction is not about asking people to work faster. It is about planning and coordinating our work better, reducing unnecessary waiting and rework, and improving sequencing to improve efficiency. Done effectively, it enables project teams to make better use of their time and resources,” he said.

Gammon Singapore, an early adopter of lean construction, has shown what this can look like in practice.

“For one of its infrastructure projects, using lean principles, Gammon brought its project teams, supply chain and subcontractors together to plan backwards from key milestones, coordinate work more closely, and identify potential roadblocks early,” Chee said.

“The teams also conducted regular `waste walks’ (or on-site walks) to identify instances of unnecessary waiting, idle manpower and inefficient processes, and then worked together to address them,” he said.

Through these efforts, Gammon reduced weeks of delay across various project milestones and avoided costly rework.

“We want to help more contractors and subcontractors achieve similar improvements,” Chee said.

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) will roll out the LIFT initiative with SCAL’s support.

Participating firms will receive six months of dedicated workforce consultancy support from BCG, Chee said.

They will also be supported in applying lean practices to solve real challenges in their projects.

BCG will provide training and coaching, including workshops on lean construction methods.

“This is not just classroom training. Firms will receive dedicated coaching on live projects and work on actual processes – from how equipment is deployed and teams are coordinated, to how submissions and workflows can be streamlined,” Chee said.

“LIFT aims to help participating firms fundamentally improve how they plan, coordinate and deliver work, including strengthening collaboration between main contractors and subcontractors,” he added.

Local firms that have adopted lean construction methods have recorded productivity improvements by as much as 30 per cent.

“More importantly, this is not about solving one problem on one project. We want firms to develop better ways of working that they can sustain and scale up across future projects,” Chee said.

Projects under the initiative are supported by the SWDA’s Workforce Development grant.

Eligible firms can receive up to 70 per cent funding support for job redesign-related costs, as well as up to 90 per cent salary support for a three-month period through the career conversion programme to support employee reskilling.

On improving productivity, Chee said this work is “still ongoing, but we have started translating industry feedback into practical changes that can help firms save time, reduce cost, and make better use of manpower.”

“For example, we are supporting firms to adopt robotics and automation through the robot leasing support scheme,” he said. “SCAL is working with vendors to help contractors identify robotic solutions that can be deployed across different types of projects.”

In addition, the approval processes for standardised designs and precast components have been simplified. Instead of making a fresh submission for every project, firms can draw from a pre-approved catalogue.

“This can save consultants around 320 man-hours per project, reduce precast component manufacturing costs by at least 10 per cent, and lower manpower needs by at least 20 per cent,” Chee noted.

And through the introduction of virtual temporary occupation permit (TOP) inspections, agencies can conduct inspections remotely and concurrently.

This could potentially reduce inspection manpower by up to 30 per cent, and enable projects to obtain TOP up to two months earlier, he added.

The sector must also continue investing in its people, Chee said.

“While new technologies and construction methods can open up new possibilities, it is the people who ultimately turn them into results. We must therefore equip our workers with relevant skills and create opportunities for them to take on higher-value roles.”

He highlighted firms that are taking practical steps through job redesign, skills development and internal career progression.

In particular, DLE M&E, a mechanical and electrical engineering and construction firm, has also automated some repetitive administrative work, allowing its employees to spend more time on higher-value tasks.

“There is scope for this approach to be applied across more processes and job roles across the built environment sector,” Chee said, adding that automation and AI could improve the way work is done.

“It is not simply about doing the same work with fewer people, but empowering existing workers to do more and achieve better outcomes.

“It is about redesigning jobs so that our workers can contribute more, take on better roles and build stronger careers,” he added.

BCA/Building and Construction Authority

发布于2026年10月16日晚上8点

更新于2026年10月16日晚上8点

从 2026 年 11 月起，约 30 家建筑环境公司将与波士顿咨询集团在 LIFT 项目下合作，以改进精益建造、提高生产力和团队合作。

精益建造有助于提高项目的生产力和协作效率，Gammon Singapore 利用精益建造减少了数周的延误，避免了代价高昂的返工。

政府也在简化审批流程，扩大对机器人和自动化技术的支持，并通过拨款、培训和工作重新设计来投资于劳动者。

新加坡——预计未来两年内，约有 30 家建筑环境公司将与全球管理咨询公司波士顿咨询集团 (BCG) 合作，以提高项目生产力和协作水平。

从 2026 年 11 月开始，精益实施和现场转型 (LIFT) 计划将帮助参与公司重新设计工作并建立能力。

承包商、分包商、开发商、设计咨询公司以及该行业的其他人员将通过现场指导获得支持，以部署精益方法来改善团队协调并简化工作流程。

10月16日，国家发展部长徐芳达在新加坡建筑商协会（SCAL）年度晚宴上发表讲话，概述了建筑环境领域的三个优先事项：提高生产力、更好地组织和交付项目，以及投资于人才以提高人才吸引和留用。

尽管该行业面临人力和资源限制，但 Chee 指出，需要“妥善交付雄心勃勃的项目储备”——从组屋预购计划和地铁线路到樟宜机场 5 号航站楼和长岛项目等重大工程。

他说：“我们必须找到更好的建设方式，更有效地部署人力资源，减少不必要的繁文缛节，同时坚持高标准的安全性和质量。”

部长指出，在组织和实施项目方面，还有更多工作可以做，以做得更好。

“这就是精益建造能够真正发挥作用的地方，”他说。

“精益建造并非要求人们加快工作速度，而是更好地规划和协调工作，减少不必要的等待和返工，并优化施工顺序以提高效率。如果运用得当，它能帮助项目团队更好地利用时间和资源。”他说道。

作为精益建造的早期实践者，新加坡金门公司展示了精益建造在实践中可以是什么样子。

Chee表示：“Gammon公司在其一个基础设施项目中运用精益原则，将项目团队、供应链和分包商聚集在一起，从关键里程碑倒推规划，更紧密地协调工作，并及早发现潜在的障碍。”

他说：“各团队还定期进行‘浪费巡查’（或现场巡查），以发现不必要的等待、闲置的人力和低效的流程，然后共同努力解决这些问题。”

通过这些努力，Gammon 减少了各个项目里程碑的数周延误，并避免了代价高昂的返工。

Chee表示：“我们希望帮助更多承包商和分包商实现类似的改进。”

新加坡建设局 (BCA) 和技能与劳动力发展局 (SWDA) 将在新加坡技能发展局 (SCAL) 的支持下推出 LIFT 计划。

Chee表示，参与的公司将获得波士顿咨询公司提供的六个月的专门人力资源咨询支持。

他们还将获得支持，运用精益方法解决项目中的实际挑战。

BCG 将提供培训和指导，包括精益建造方法研讨会。

Chee表示：“这不仅仅是课堂培训。企业将获得针对实际项目的专门指导，并参与实际流程的改进——从设备部署和团队协调，到如何简化提交流程和工作流程。”

“LIFT 旨在帮助参与公司从根本上改进其规划、协调和交付工作的方式，包括加强总承包商和分包商之间的合作，”他补充道。

采用精益建造方法的本地企业生产率提高了 30%。

Chee表示：“更重要的是，这不仅仅是解决某个项目中的某个问题。我们希望企业能够开发出更好的工作方式，以便在未来的项目中持续应用和推广。”

该计划下的项目由SWDA的劳动力发展补助金支持。

符合条件的公司可获得高达 70% 的工作重新设计相关成本资金支持，以及通过职业转型计划获得三个月高达 90% 的工资支持，以支持员工技能再培训。

关于提高生产力，Chee表示这项工作“仍在进行中，但我们已经开始将行业反馈转化为实际的改变，这可以帮助企业节省时间、降低成本并更好地利用人力资源。”

他表示：“例如，我们正通过机器人租赁支持计划，帮助企业采用机器人和自动化技术。SCAL 正在与供应商合作，帮助承包商找到可部署于不同类型项目的机器人解决方案。”

此外，标准化设计和预制构件的审批流程也得到了简化。企业无需为每个项目单独提交申请，而是可以从预先批准的目录中选择。

Chee指出：“这可以为顾问节省每个项目约320工时，将预制构件的制造成本降低至少10%，并将人力需求降低至少20%。”

通过引入虚拟临时占用许可证（TOP）检查，各机构可以远程同时进行检查。

他补充说，这可能会减少多达 30% 的检查人力，并使项目能够提前两个月获得竣工验收证书。

Chee表示，该行业还必须继续投资于人才。

“虽然新技术和施工方法可以带来新的可能性，但最终还是人才能将这些可能性转化为实际成果。因此，我们必须为工人提供相关的技能，并为他们创造机会，让他们承担更高价值的工作。”

他重点介绍了那些通过工作重新设计、技能发展和内部职业晋升等切实措施来提升员工职业发展水平的公司。

特别是，机电工程和建筑公司 DLE M&E 也实现了部分重复性行政工作的自动化，使其员工能够将更多时间用于更有价值的任务。

Chee表示：“这种方法有潜力应用于建筑环境领域的更多流程和工作岗位”，并补充说，自动化和人工智能可以改善工作方式。

“这不仅仅是用更少的人做同样的工作，而是要赋予现有员工更多权力，让他们做更多的工作，取得更好的成果。”

“这关乎重新设计工作岗位，以便我们的员工能够做出更多贡献，承担更好的角色，并建立更强大的职业生涯，”他补充道。

建设局/建筑管理局