FAQ on
NEW REGULATORY APPROVAL PROCESS
Gateways
What does each Gateway mean?
| [1] Design Gateway |
Clearing of key design parameters.
(e.g. Master Plan land use, intensity, building massing, site layout, vehicular access, etc.) |
| [1.5] Piling Gateway (optional) |
An optional gateway for works requiring piling.
Macro-level requirements for commencement of piling / substructure works need to be fulfilled (e.g. unit layout, structural grid, etc.)
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| [2] Construction Gateway |
Clearing of Detailed Design of the development, such as layout, accessible route for people on wheelchairs and fire escape route.
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| All Other Requirements |
Typical technical details or component level information that are only be relevant to a specific agency (e.g. structural submission (calculation) for safety barrier and cladding, etc.) can be submitted as independent submissions to Agencies via CORENET X.
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| [3] Completion Gateway |
Submission of As-Built model and application for Temporary Occupation Permit / Certificate of Statutory Completion.
The Completion Gateway is largely similar to today’s practice, where industry can apply for site inspection (if applicable) and apply for technical clearances from the respective agencies concurrently, before the final TOP / CSC is released.
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What are the requirements at each Gateway?
Gateway requirements can be found in the CORENET X Code of Practice, which can be found
here.
What is the equivalent of the Gateways to today's approvals?
The Gateway clearances in CORENET X are fundamentally different from the current regulatory building works approval process. Each Gateway is considered to be cleared only when all relevant requirements by all the 7 agencies are met. More information about the gateways can be found
here.
Are the agencies' technical departments involved in the Gateways?
Yes, the technical departments of each agency will be involved if their respective requirements are required to be submitted at the respective gateways.
What if only one agency clearance is required?
The submission will still be made through CORENET X. The QP may indicate during the application the agencies whose approvals are not applicable, and the application will be directed to the agency whose approval is required. The single agency involved will process the submission accordingly.
Which agency or department has the final say to issue an approval at each Gateway?
During processing, agencies will collaborate during the review. CORENET X will leverage technologies to automate the issuance of comments and approval. In the event of any conflicting issues that could not be resolved, the project could then be tabled to the Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee (IACC) for conflict resolution.
TOP / CSC and Completion Gateway
Will TOP applications be required to be consolidated in a single submission at the Completion Gateway?
It would be challenging to industry if TOP can only be applied when everything is completed. Therefore, similar to today’s practice, QPs may proceed to clear the respective agency concurrently and independently. The final TOP/CSC will be issued when the project obtains all the necessary clearances from the technical agencies.
To improve the current user experience, CORENET X will provide a dashboard / checklist for project members to view and monitor the status of the TOP / CSC application to each agency.
Will BCA's TOP Portal be integrated into CORENET X?
Yes, once implemented, TOP processes will be incorporated and subsumed under CORENET X.
Independent Submissions
How will independent submissions be submitted?
Independent submissions, or agency-specific submissions, can be submitted in parallel with Gateway submissions across the entire regulatory approval lifecycle.
An example of an independent submission for Structural works is as follows.
Project Typologies
Will infrastructure / complex projects be required to submit in CORENET X?
Yes, CORENET X will be the default submission platform for all types of projects.
How will CORENET X accept submissions for large developments?
While projects should be submitted as a whole in general, we recognise that there may be a need to split larger projects into phases. Prior to submission, the project team will be required to carry out a pre-submission consultation with the agencies to agree on the phasing of the project.
Will CORENET X allow QPs to have multi-agency pre-submission consultations?
Yes, pre-submission consultation under CORENET X covers both agency specific consultation and cross-agency consultation. During the application for pre-submission consultation, project teams may indicate the agencies involved.
For A&A projects, is the existing development required to be modelled for submission?
The current BIM submission requirements will apply. For A&A projects, BIM submission is required if the A&A work is major (such as reconstruction, new addition / extension) with GFA more than 5000 sqm.
Only existing development that affect the regulatory compliance of the new extension in the A&A project will need to be modelled in the CORENET X submission (e.g. interfacing building elements and structure).
Will D&B projects be required to submit via CORENET X?
Yes, D&B projects are required to be submitted via CORENET X and are subject to the same regulatory approval process. While the approvals are not issued until all the agencies cleared the submission, the dashboard provides clarity and transparency on the outstanding issues. Unless there are major design changes that may result in new comments, the sharing of this information allows the project team to plan their project with greater certainty.
Amendment Submissions
Are amendments allowed after submission at each Gateway?
Yes, the project team can resubmit the amendments for approval. If there is any change in design from the approved plans, the project team will need to submit the amendment plans to clear the relevant gateways again. The CORENET X amendment submission workflow can be found in Section 2 of the CORENET X Code of Practice, which can be found
here. Similar to today’s practice, amendment plan fees would apply.
Will QPs need to model in the earlier approved models and deleted elements in the amendment submissions?
For BIM submissions, the QPs only need to ensure their models are geo-referenced (similar to their earlier approved model) and submit the updated models. Under CORENET X, processing officers will make use of model compare to identify the changes between the new model submitted for approval and the model that was approved earlier. The CORENET X amendment submission workflow can be found in Section 2 of the CORENET X Code of Practice, which can be found
here.
Waivers
How will waivers be issued in CORENET X?
Similar to today, the industry may apply for waiver (if the project requires) under the respective Act and Regulations and the respective agency will assess the applications accordingly.
Written Directions
Will agencies continue to issue Written Directions (WDs) independently in CORENET X?
No, multiple and/or all agencies will issue one single consolidated reply at the relevant gateway (i.e. Design Gateway, Piling Gateway, Construction Gateway).
If the submission made is an independent submission (i.e. agency-specific), the WD will be issued once the agency completes its review.
Will the consolidated Written Directions (WDs) be directed to specific consultants? Will consultants from all disciplines be able to access all the consolidated comments?
All consultants registered as the ‘project team’ will have access to the consolidated comments. The new system will provide a dashboard / inbox feature that enables consultants to track agencies’ responses.
Are QPs required to provide a consolidated response back to the agencies' Written Directions (WDs)?
Yes, consultants will need to provide a consolidated response to address agencies' written directions / comments that require responses from multiple QPs in the same ‘project team’.
This consolidated response to agencies’ written directions / comments would increase productivity for both the project team and multiple agencies in the regulatory approval process, potentially reducing the number of WDs issued to the project team.
What is the timeframe during which QPs are required to reply to agencies after receiving the consolidated Written Directions / comments?
The project team will be given up to 60 days to respond, after which the Written Directions will expire. If required, the project team may request for an extension to respond to the WDs.
Roles and Responsibilities of QPs
Will there be a change in the QP's statutory responsibilities under CORENET X?
No, the submission via CORENET X would be a joint submission by the relevant QPs. Thus, the statutory responsibilities of each QP remain unchanged, including all standard endorsements under the respective Acts and Regulations.
Must all QPs of all the three disciplines (Architectural, Structural, M&E) submit multi-disciplinary coordinated BIM model for all submissions in CORENET X?
QPs are required to make submissions for the requirements at the respective Gateways that are related to their statutory responsibilities.
While it is possible that there are Gateway(s) that a QP does not have to make submissions (e.g. Structural / M&E Engineers in the Design Gateway), these QPs need to provide inputs to the Registered Architect so that the submission encompasses all aspects of planning.
Individual professionals may submit independent submissions for agency-specific technical details to the specific agencies between the Construction and Completion Gateways.
More information on the Gateways in CORENET X's Redesigned Process can be found
here.
Conflict Resolution
How will conflict resolution among agencies be improved under CORENET X?
Currently, conflict resolution among agency requirements is carried out through the Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee (IACC) often at very late stages of the project, when it is often too costly to amend the design and works on site. CORENET X aims to bring conflict resolution upfront in the project, so that conflicting / competing requirements may be resolved early prior to the commencement of works.
For feedback or enquiry related to CORENET X, please complete the form here.