Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan

Dato’ Seri Prof Ir Dr. Judin Abdul KarimPWD is no longer just a government contractor but also the keeperof the value and timeliness of the projects.THE standard tagline “Jasa Kepada Rakyat” (working for the people) found on theubiquitous signboards for government projects managed by Jabatan Kerja Raya(JKR) reflects the department’s commitment to serve the people.Since its formation over more than a century ago, JKR or Public Works Department(PWD) Malaysia has touched many aspects of the nation’s life. As the main technicalarm of the government, JKR has successfully implemented development projectsthat include road infrastructure, airports, government buildings and facilities, publicamenities as well as maintaining them overtime.Despite the countless success stories byJKR which include the KLIA, the departmentdoes experience several setbacks in termsof breakdowns and defects relating togovernment facilities. These have obviouslyreceived adverse public reactions as theirsafety and convenience are affected.Recognising theimplication of poorlymanaged projects onpublic safety, convenience,maintenance needs,We have also come under a lot of criticisms and last but not least,from client departments for a “lack of JKR’s reputation, thequality” in the delivered products. Thelatest in a series of unfortunate incidents department placed muchthat tainted JKR’s reputation include the focus on improving serviceTerengganu stadium roof collapse and burstdelivery.pipe at the Kompleks Pejabat KerajaanPersekutuan Sabah in Kota Kinabalu.Fortunately, no life was lost in these mishapsbut there was substantial damage to the properties.There could be a myriad of reasons why such untoward incidents happened.Among them are design faults, inferior quality of materials used, poor supervision,incompetent supervisors, shoddy workmanship, negligent personnel, and lack ofmaintenance — most of them are project management issues.Recognising the implication of poorly managed projects on public safety, convenience,maintenance needs, and last but not least, JKR’s reputation, the department placedmuch focus on improving service delivery.Top in the department’s agenda now is the highest quality of delivery, delivery ontime and value for money. The fact that JKR’s customers are essentially government69