Kota Kinabalu: The Association of Consulting Engineers Malaysia (Acem) Sabah Branch and the Public Works Department (JKR) Sabah have agreed to strengthen collaboration in streamlining and modernising development submission processes across the State.
The agreement was reached during a recent strategic dialogue between the two parties, which focused on standardising and formalising the Terms of Reference (ToR) for Traffic Site Plans (TSP) and Traffic Impact Assessments (TIA) required for Development Plan submissions.
A key outcome of the dialogue was the agreement to establish a Joint Acem-JKR Technical Working Committee to study, formulate and establish appropriate standardised guidelines aimed at reducing submission ambiguities and ensuring greater alignment with industry requirements.
Acem Sabah Chairman Ir. Benny Song said the initiative marked an important collaborative step between regulatory authorities and practising consulting engineers, with the potential to improve the efficiency of engineering plan submissions and project approvals statewide.
“By formalising standard guidelines through this joint technical committee, our goal is to directly improve engineering plan submission efficiency, reduce processing turnaround times, and ensure smoother project approvals statewide,” he said.
The Acem Sabah delegation was led by Benny and included Deputy Chairman Ir Wah Kheng Hau, Honorary Secretary Datuk Ir Amarjit Singh, Exco Member Ir James Leong, and Past Chairmen Ir Tan Koh Yon and Ir Lee Tet Fon.
The JKR Sabah delegation was led by Principal Assistant Director Ts Adzizah Akul, while the session was chaired by Assistant Director Ir Ts Annalisa Edward, with Senior Engineer Ir Rafael Mojolou and engineers from the Traffic and Transportation Section and Corporate and Development Section also in attendance.
The Joint Technical Working Committee is expected to convene in the coming weeks to begin work on drafting the updated frameworks and guidelines.
