CCA And Developers Comment On Construction Management Proclamation

• 31 December 2015
• Association Focus
• 1100 Views

In an effort to enhance the nation’s construction industry, the Cambodian government is in the process of codifying a Construction Management (CM) Proclamation — a new mechanism to ensure quality and cost-effective construction projects.

Construction Management (CM) or Construction Project Management (CPM) is the overall planning, coordination, and control of a project from beginning to completion. CM is aimed at meeting a client’s requirements in order to produce a functionally and financially viable project.

Since the law, which was introduced by the Construction Management Association of Korea (CMAK), is a new concept in Cambodia, the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction (MLMUPC) requested support from the Cambodia Constructors Association (CCA), to help codify the law.

In response to the request, the CCA launched a raft of meetings among its almost 100 members and developers to ensure the comments and feedback on the law represented the voices of the major players in the nation’s building and property industries.

Following Korean construction management standards, the law contains seven chapters and 45 articles. The purpose of the law is to assist project owners by ensuring quality and cost-effective construction processes from the concept design stage until completion.

After months of debates, discussions, and negotiations on the draft CM proclamation, the CCA and other industrial players reached a final consensus on 22 June which was submitted to the ministry for further consideration.

While the ministry can’t confirm when the law will be promulgated, once it comes into effect, it will be compulsory for all construction projects in the country to comply with its criteria.

This CM law is one of the projects supported by the South Korean government to enhance Cambodia’s construction business environment via a MoU agreement signed between CMAK and MLMUPC. The MoU also paved the way for CMAK to help codify the nations’ long-awaited construction code which is expected to be ready during the government’s fifth mandate.

Through these projects, the CCA has been working closely with CMAK, a private-construction group in Korea established in 1997 with 170 contractors.

“Using proper construction management can save construction cost, time, ensure quality and safety. It also includes construction risk management,” said Professor Hyun Soo Lee of College of Engineering, Seoul National University who represented CMAK at a meeting with the CCA last year. “But it is very hard to apply the South Korean construction methods here since Cambodia doesn’t have a well-organised constructionlaw yet,” he added.