KUCHING, Feb 8 — Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah today said all contractors must sign a "one month deliverable pledge” with the state Public Works Department once project sites have been handed over to them.

He said the contractors must comply with all mandatory and quality requirements with timely commencement of the construction works as stipulated in the pledge.

He said the failure to comply with the pledge will result in the termination of the contractor’s employment under the contract.

He said the pledge is to ensure that the contractors will deliver the projects according to schedule and meet the specifications.

"This means that if the state JKR hands over to you the project site on March 1, we expect something to be done by March 31,” he told the contractors and consultants at the closing of a seminar on enhancing the Sarawak’s construction industry at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here.

"If not, the state JKR will discuss with the contractors and if they can’t move on, then we have the option to terminate the contracts.”

Uggah, who is also the state minister of infrastructure and port development, said terminating the contracts is the last resort that the state government wants to take.

However, he said the state government has to make an extremely difficult choice by terminating contractors due to poor performance.

"It is not an easy decision. But, believe me, that is the last thing that we want to do. If we have to do it, we will do it.

"The we have to look for a rescue contractor. We have done it before and we will continue to do it,” he warned.

Uggah said asking the contractors to sign the pledge is a new approach that the state government is taking so whatever projects that are awarded to the contractors will delivered on time.

He told the contractors and consultants to take the pledge seriously.

He said he has directed the state JKR to closely monitor all these projects and ensure that they are handed over in a timely manner with impeccable quality.

"We at the ministry and JKR are equally responsible for any failed project because we are the ones that supervise the projects.

"I have told our staff that we need to have a little part of our heart to be black so that they can take drastic action,” he said, pointing out that a number of projects have delayed by over a year.

He said MIPD is targeting to complete all the on-going projects within the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP).

He said at present, there are 215 projects worth RM28 billion that are implemented by state JKR, excluding the rural transformation projects where each of the 76 state constituencies under the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) is allocated with RM5 million annually.