Dubai Municipality has introduced new updates to the ‘Engineering Excellence Initiative’, it has shared.
These updates include the addition of the ‘Owner’s Opinion’ standard. The inclusion of the new standard, it said, allows owners to evaluate engineering consulting offices and contracting companies working on their projects and adhere to the standards for distinguished projects of architectural artistic value and the standard for using Building Information Modeling (BIM) systems as the key condition for the engineering offices to obtain a five-star rating.
Through these updates, the Municipality aims to enhance the trust between the project owner and the consultant or contractor and increase competitiveness among the companies specialised in building and construction fields, raising the quality of construction projects across the Emirate.
Eng. Mariam Al Muhairi, CEO of the Buildings Regulation and Permits Agency, Dubai Municipality, said: “One of the key goals of the initiative is to offer consultants and contractors with data of owners of prospective projects, and to help them choose the appropriate consultant and contractor for their projects as well as encourage the latter to enhance the quality of their work. Furthermore, the initiative empowers and engages clients, both owners and developers in the evaluation system with an electronic questionnaire shared through Dubai BPS smartphone application in a manner that reflects their past experiences and interactions with those offices and companies.”
Eng. Al Muhairi noted that the evaluation procedures can be completed through a set of criteria, such as compliance with laws, building regulations and other laws required to practice the engineering profession, the quality of submitting transactions, dedication to supervising the construction site and absence of technical complaints in the register.
The updates included standards for distinguished projects of architectural artistic value, such as projects that leverage the potential of modern building technologies, including building systems integrated with 3D printing, along with the standard of using BIM systems, which will aid the engineering office in securing a five-star rating.
The initiative also helps project owners select the “ideal” consultant and contractor for their projects, further reducing the rate of construction disputes, and elevating the quality of building implementation.