Encorp Berhad continue to build its reputation as a major player in the country’s property construction sector through its flagship project – construction of teachers’ housing quarters for the Government of Malaysia.
The project had been awarded to Enfari’s wholly owned subsidiary, Encorp Systembilt Sdn Bhd (ESSB), in 1998 for a concession period of 30 years. Under the contract, ESSB is required to plan, design, finance, construct and complete 10,000 units of apartments in 109 sites throughout Malaysia including Sabah and Sarawak.

Enfari’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Encorp Construct Sdn Bhd (ECSB), was engaged to manage construction of the project.

A strong believer of creating value-add for its stakeholders, Enfari’s design for these teachers’ housing quarters differs from the conventional Government quarters’ design. By paying attention to detail and aesthetics, Enfari was able to provide the Ministry of Education with attractive and modern accommodation units, which have kept to the stringent quality standards set by the Government and budgets specified.

The result is low-rise (4 and 5 storey high) apartment complexes, with only 4 to 6 units per floor, complemented with landscaped gardens, car parks, supporting amenities and children’s play-area. The new housing quarters have since provided teachers with an improved standard of living, especially for those posted in rural areas where finding suitable accommodation is a challenge.

Building a strong foundation in Malaysia

During the first phase of development of the teachers’ housing quarters project, Enfari faced several major challenges. These experiences have served to build a strong foundation for the company’s future. Of noteworthy mention are the following factors characteristic of the Enfari/Encorp team :

a) Resourcefulness – The economic crisis of 1997-99 severely impacted the availability of financing options for the project. Project progress was affected for several months at the beginning before financing was secured. The situation improved after January 2000, when ESSB was able to raise financing for the project through issuance of an Islamic bond.

b) Efficient project management to meet tight deadlines – With several months of delay, the ECSB team was left with a tight project time-frame to complete each project site within 12 – 18 months. The site teams, which included project managers, architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, contractors, sub-contractors, construction workers, vendors and suppliers, were successful in overcoming various challenges to accelerate project progress, in order to meet the scheduled deadlines or at least avoid long project delays.

c) Resilience – The team’s resilience was put to the test in having to meet numerous requirements to obtain no less than 2,500 approvals of various plans submitted to 46 different local authorities covering the 109 sites in 9 states in the country.

d) Use of a new Prefabricated Building Technology – A key factor contributing to the successful completion of the project was the use of a remarkably adaptable Prefabricated Building Technology that could be used with speed and reliability and was of high quality, cost effective and sustainable.

Encorp Berhad’s Achievements

Enfari has successfully achieved the main objectives of the Government in undertaking the project. These include :-

  1. The successful development and use of a new Prefabricated Building Technology
  2. The design, financing, construction and completion of units with high standards of quality, finishes, facilities, community services and infrastructure.
  3. Achieved Bumiputra participation of approximately RM1 billion or 77% of the total project cost.
  4. Trained a large pool of Bumiputras at professional, sub-professional and supervisory levels to undertake this and other similar projects using the Prefabricated Building Technology in the country and,
  5. Promoted and achieved the use of 100% of local building materials for the project.
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