Kota Kinabalu: Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) Nominated Assemblyman Datuk Chin Shu Ying proposed a RM2 million state grant for five professional bodies to accelerate adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in Sabah.
He said such move is critical to strengthening human capital and empower the local construction industry to be competitive.
“As an engineer, myself, I wish first to bring before this august House the voices and requests of these professional bodies.
“Five professional bodies in Sabah — namely ACEM Sabah Branch, IEM Sabah Branch, the Sabah Engineers Association (SEA), PAM Sabah Chapter and the Association of Sabah Architects (ASA) — jointly submitted a grant application to the State Government last September to promote the adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in Sabah.
“To bridge this gap and ensure that local consultants are not left behind, they proposed that the State Government allocate a RM2 million grant to support BIM training programmes,” he said when debating the 2026 State Budget.
Chin said BIM adoption is no longer an option but a necessity for the future of the construction industry.
He explained that BIM is an advanced digital approach to the design, construction and management of buildings and infrastructure, allowing industry players to collaborate through intelligent 3D models that integrate architectural, structural and engineering data.
“BIM improves efficiency, reduces design errors, detects clashes at an early stage, saves cost and time, and enhances overall project quality and safety.
“These models enable all stakeholders — including architects, engineers, contractors and clients — to collaborate more efficiently, detect design conflicts at an early stage, achieve cost savings and improve overall project quality and sustainability,” he said.
Chin said adopting BIM is also aligned with government policy in which the Federal Government has mandated phased implementation of BIM for public sector projects through the Public Works Department (JKR) roadmap.
Hence, he added that Sabah must align with this direction to remain competitive.
While BIM adoption is growing among large firms, he said many small and medium-sized consulting firms in Sabah are struggling due to high software licensing costs, lack of skilled personnel, limited access to structured training and low awareness of BIM’s full benefits.
“Without BIM, local consultants risk being sidelined from large-scale projects, especially government and international projects that increasingly require BIM compliance.
“That is why the five professional bodies jointly proposed the RM2 million grant to fund BIM training programmes, and aimed at producing at least 300 trained BIM professionals in Sabah within two years.
“Adopting this initiative would improve competitiveness, align Sabah with federal requirements under the Public Works Department’s BIM roadmap, and enhance local participation in government and international projects,” Chin said.
He added that the Federal Government has already mandated the phased implementation of BIM for public sector projects through the Public Works Department (JKR) roadmap, making it imperative for Sabah to align with national policy to remain competitive.
Chin welcomed an increase in allocations for religious development, non-Muslim religious institutions, as well as missionary and private schools from RM70 million to RM90 million next year, describing it as proof of the Government’s commitment to the wellbeing of all communities.
He also expressed support for the proposed establishment of two new oversight bodies — the Sabah Statutory Bodies and State-Owned Companies Advisory and Monitoring Committee (JPP-KKNS) and the State Agencies’ Loan and Investment Committee (SALIC).
