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SHIKA Uprageded to Class III Contractor Thanks to DARe
May 29th, 2016 | 10:17 AM | 3433 views
KUALA BELAIT
A Belait District-based local company that specialises in housing and offshore scaffolding has thanked DARe (Darussalam Enterprise) for helping the firm to upgrade to a Class III contractor that allows it to pursue bigger contracts.
Syarikat Haji Idris Kalong Sdn Bhd (SHIKA) said recently DARe's Business Helpdesk had been a great help to the company in its application to upgrade its contractor status with the Authority for Building Control and Construction Industry (ABCi).
Chairman of SHIKA, Dr. Haji Jumat bin Haji Idris said since 2011, the company had been registered as a Class II contractor which allows it to accept government or private sector offered projects worth between B$50,000 and B$250,000. SHIKA was established in 1982.
He said the company applied to be upgraded to Class III last October that would allow the company to accept project offers valued between B$250,000 and B$500,000.
However, the company did not receive a definite answer from ABCi even though it regularly followed up on its application, Director of SHIKA Dayang Sufina binti Dr. (HC) Haji Jumat said.
And so the company decided to contact DARE's Business Helpdesk, which is one of the 15 agencies located at the Business Support Centre.
According to DARe, the delay in the class upgrade was due to the requirement of two additional pieces of information from the company which were missing from its original submission, and were only submitted in February 2016.
According to a fact sheet, DARe receives different business related cases through the Business Helpdesk. All cases logged in will be looked into and resolved in close collaboration with relevant agencies.
By March 21, SHIKA was finally certified as a Class III contractor.
The upgrade can also help the company utilise the local workforce, Sufina said.
"We don't have to rely on foreign manpower and that's why we train our employees. And we are unafraid to take in locals, especially graduates from IBTE Campuses and the Youth Development Centre," she added.
General Manager, Laila Pehin Orang Kaya Shahbandar Dato Seri Paduka Haji Mohd Salleh said the company is looking at leveraging its scaffolding services into the infrastructure sector. The company is currently working with two clients, Brunei Shell Petroleum Company (BSP) Sdn Bhd and AKER Solutions Sdn Bhd.
She said the company also employs locals who hold supervisory level positions.
"We are proud to say that our locals (workers) are skilled individuals who can go offshore to work," said Laila, adding that SHIKA now has a total of 330 staff members, of whom about 250 are local.
Source:
@BRUDIRECT.COM
by BruDirect.com
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