The Housing and Development Board Public Organization

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Table of Contents

Definition of Project
Diagnosis of Current Situation
Recommendations
Implementation Plan
Summary
References

Definition of Project

Public housing plays a significant role in the well-being of society. Most of the world population is accommodated in urban areas which continue to grow. It is a general opinion that such governmental organizations as the Housing and Development Board in Singapore provide apartments to the majority of the population in the country. It is a well-known fact that such non-profit organizations are mostly financed by the government. Still, it is crucial to distinguish the Housing and Development Board from the government structure and improve its performance to meet the current needs of the population in the building sector.

Construction projects usually involve many stakeholders and groups which have their objectives and requirements. Some researchers state that “over the past quarter-century, further development of forms of partnership between public and private entities was experienced, partly related to transport infrastructures, and partly due to urban renewal interventions” (Antonini, Longo, Gianfrate, & Copiello, 2016, p. 100). Therefore, it is advisable to involve private developers in construction projects implemented by the Housing and Development Board. This change is necessary as it might assist in enhancing and varying accommodation offers to Singapore citizens and increase the involvement of the young population.

Diagnosis of Current Situation

At present, all the operations of the Housing and Development Board are managed by the Estate Administration and Property Department. Most of the employees lack autonomy, and it is difficult for them to accept new changes. Still, the organization’s goal is to achieve customer satisfaction by providing them low-price and convenient accommodations with modern design. The increasing dissatisfaction with the provided housing is mainly related to the tendency of improving environmental performance in the buildings. It is noted that many countries introduced several measures such as requirements for smart technologies and renewable energy to increase environmental sustainability in the accommodations (Moore & Higgins, 2016). The desired outcomes might be reached by implementing new designs of apartments. Such an approach might help to make offers more attractive and maintain their popularity among the population as the needs of young families seem to differ from the requirements of the previous generations. Therefore, some innovations are needed to make the organization more efficient and customer-oriented and involving the use of Total Quality Management techniques (Hornstein, 2015).

The involvement of private developers might significantly alter the design of the apartments that are offered by the organization. Private stakeholders guarantee the coverage of investment costs and provide the required skills for the construction projects. For example, it is possible to apply a mixed-use approach for buildings and provide both residential and commercial premises according to the requirements of the stakeholders. Although it is noted that the presence of commercial premises might cause dissatisfaction with some residents because of the noise, it is also recognized to be convenient as the residents do not go far from their apartment for shopping. The participation of private developers in the construction project might also decrease construction costs for the government as the Housing and Development Board can evaluate the proposed projects by their cost-efficiency and convenience for residents. It is also stated that “the quality of a construction project is also largely dependent on the appropriate performance management of diverse stakeholders, especially contractors and consultants” (Heravi, Coffey, & Trigunarsyah, 2015, p. 985). Thus, the Housing and Development Board should transform its management system to guide and supervise the private developers effectively.

Recommendations

The involvement of private developers is a complicated process. The quality of the construction project is influenced by many factors. Inappropriate selection of developers, as well as insufficient supervision and management, might cause technical problems and delays in the course of the project. Therefore, the major recommendations for utilizing the services of private developers is to clarify business strategy and find an appropriate method of implementing the selected approach (Cummings & Worley, 2014). The skills of the staff in the organization should be improved according to the new requirements in management, supervision, and problem-solving. The steps should be taken to evaluate the stakeholders’ expectations and desires in the next decade. According to the outcomes of this evaluation, the proper partners should be selected for future construction projects.

The timeline for implementation of changes and available budget should be developed as well. It is emphasized that “the importance of conceptualization and planning is relatively prominent compared to other phases in the project lifecycle and they both have a remarkable influence on project success” (Heravi et al., 2015, p. 988). Thus, it is crucial to involve stakeholders in the project in the planning phase to achieve positive results.

Implementation Plan

To implement the provided recommendations, it is advisable to develop a strategy for selecting and evaluating private developers who are interested in participating in public construction projects. At this stage, the appropriate training of the employees in the Housing and Development Board should be performed to ensure that they meet the demands of the new job requirements related to the implementation of the changes. Internal changes in the organization should be focused on a customer-oriented approach and increasing customer satisfaction. The tasks of the organizations will also be transformed with the involvement of private developers. Therefore, employees should be prepared to perform effectively in their new roles. After that, the evaluation of population needs should be conducted based on customer feedback.

The next step is to select partners for construction projects. All the candidates should receive letters of intent to encourage them to develop their proposals for the construction project. It will allow the organization to choose the best designs for the apartments and meet the expectations of the citizens according to the analysis conducted by the employees of the organization. After evaluating the proposals, the contract is signed with the best contractor. The length of the contract can vary from medium to long-term. Before signing the contract, the public organization should evaluate costs, risks, and the required supervision and management. Once the contract is signed, it is possible to build a team for a construction project, make decisions on conflict resolution, work design, strategic planning, and employee involvement. After selecting a private developer, the organization should supervise its actions from the phase of planning to the completion of construction works. All the changes in the course of the construction project should be approved by the representatives of the organization to avoid technical nonconformities.

Summary

According to the presented proposal, the function of the Housing and Development Board public organization would be limited to the role of organizer, controller, and regulator. The involvement of private developers might assist in reaching public interest objectives such as constructing the accommodations that are both cost-effective and modern. It will provide the government with the opportunity to reduce an infrastructure gap and improve public services. The implementation of the proposal will also assist in decreasing the construction costs and enhance the number of contemporary accommodation offers to the population. The collaboration between the private and public sectors would result in achieving social and economic sustainability.

References

Antonini, E., Longo, D., Gianfrate, V., & Copiello, S. (2016). Challenges for public-private partnerships in improving energy efficiency of building sector. International Journal for Housing Science, 40(2), 99-109.

Cummings, T. G., & Worley, C. G. (2014). Organization development and change. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

Heravi, A., Coffey, V., & Trigunarsyah, B. (2015). Evaluating the level of stakeholder involvement during the project planning processes of building projects. International Journal of Project Management, 33(5), 985-997.

Hornstein, H. A. (2015). The integration of project management and organizational change management is now a necessity. International Journal of Project Management, 33(2), 291-298.

Moore, T., & Higgins, D. (2016). Influencing urban development through government demonstration projects. Cities, 56(1), 9-15.

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