BCA Data: Small “Boutique” Condo Projects More Likely to Get Poor Conquas Workmanship Scores in Singapore

BCA Data: Small “Boutique” Condo Projects More Likely to Get Poor Conquas Workmanship Scores in Singapore

Source & Credit:

Data from Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority (BCA) shows that small private condo projects (“boutique” developments) are more likely than larger projects to get poor workmanship scores under the Construction Quality Assessment System (Conquas).

Key points:

- Over the past six years, BCA assessed dozens of private residential projects that had serious issues such as water seepage and cracked tiles.

- A majority of the poorly rated projects were small condos, while larger, mass-market projects were less represented among the low scorers.

- Under Conquas banding, higher band numbers indicate more defects. The article notes that the worst banded developers can have many more homes with major defects than top-banded developers.

- Examples cited include several small developments that received Band 4–6 ratings (among the weakest bands).

- Experts quoted suggest small projects may score worse because they often:

- Use fewer prefabricated/precast components (which can improve consistency), relying more on on-site “wet works” like pouring concrete—work that is more vulnerable to weather and site conditions.

- Have less scale and standardization, which can make quality control harder.

- The article also emphasizes that a Conquas score is only one part of the overall quality/compliance picture, and developers still must meet regulatory requirements to obtain approvals like TOP (Temporary Occupation Permit).