DPWH plan to tap ISO-certified contractors backed

MANILA, Philippines - In a recent Senate legislative inquiry, Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio L. Singson announced that the agency is going into a scenario where “only ISO-certified contractors or companies will be allowed to participate to bid and work on government-funded projects.”

Singson revealed that based on their agency’s project review and analysis, works completed by non ISO-certified contractors pale in comparison to works completed by companies with ISO certifications.

Dimension-ALL Inc., a pioneer in the system formworks and scaffolding market in the Philippines supplying projects such as the La Mesa Dam and Magat Dam projects, building in the Metro Plaza Makati area, as well as the construction of Ali Mall Cubao, SM North Edsa, ADB Ortigas, GSIS main building and the Purefoods plant in Batangas, is fully supporting the call of the DPWH secretary. The company agrees 100 percent that all contractors should acquire Organization for Standardization (ISO) certifications.

“With recent and potentially-forthcoming calamities that pose danger to life and property, it is the responsibility of the construction industry to strive for excellence in service and product quality and safety,” said Dimension-ALL, Inc. salesmanager Mary Grace Lamarroza.

Lamarroza said DAI has recently acquired International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Certification — ISO 9001:2008; ISO 14001:2004; OHSAS 18001:2007 version.

 “The certification is part of DAI’s commitment to our clients and the public in general,” Lamarroza said.

“We agree with Sec. Singson that there are a handful of ISO-certified companies that can turn projects that have high quality and safety standards and we need more of these companies,” Lamarroza said.

According to DAI, which has supplied formworks and scaffolding products and services to big and prominent construction firms in the country such as the CE Construction, EEI Corp., Monolith Construction, Fil Systems and J.H. Pajara, their experience and track record plus a commitment to uphold their ISO certification standards bring about construction works that are of high quality and safe.

DAI markets the Easy-Set aluminum formworks technology in the Philippines in 2003. The Easy-Set aluminum formworks technology was first launched to address the need for faster construction time and less waste materials. However, field results have shown that the aluminum technology are more resistant to seismic movement and less prone to water intake and leaks, which according to DAI answers the challenges of earthquake and typhoon disasters in a country like the Philippines.

“Although it was promoted for its faster completion, where you can build a single house in 24 hours, experience on the ground has shown that this technology is more seismic resistant and more durable against water leaks or intake compared to the traditional formworks,” said Lamarroza.

The Easy-Set Aluminum formworks is the first-ever formworks system that is reusable and that can be used over and over again, therefore environment-friendly. But most importantly, especially for the areas in the Philippines devastated by typhoons and earthquakes, the system helps build houses economical and fast. “With this technology, you can build a house in 24 hours and the formworks materials are re-usable,” Lamarroza said.