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Safety disqualification criteria for public sector construction and construction-related projects

Under the Safety Disqualification (SDQ) Framework, companies in the construction sector can be temporarily disqualified from participating in public sector construction and construction-related projects.

Companies in the construction sector can be temporarily disqualified from participating in public sector construction and construction-related projects if they meet any of the following disqualification criteria due to poor Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) performance:

Entry into MOM’s Business Under Surveillance programme (BUS)

  • Has entered BUS within the 3 months prior to the tender closing or Letter of Award (LOA) date
    Or;
  • Has entered BUS after the tender closing date, but before the tender award date

Refer to list of companies in BUS programme.

Accumulation of 25 demerit points (DPs) or more under MOM’s demerit point system (DPS). If your company:

  • Was barred under MOM’s demerit point system at the tender closing or LOA date
    Or;
  • Was barred under MOM’s Demerit Point System between the tender closing date to tender award date, both dates inclusive

Refer to list of companies with demerit points.

The following table indicates the duration of disqualification for the accumulated demerit points


No of DPs accumulated within 18-months period Disqualification duration from public sector construction tenders
1 to 24
  • Warning letter will be issued.
  • List of contractors in this phase made public.
25 to 49

3 months
from tender closing to tender award.
50 to 74 6 months
from tender closing to tender award.
75 to 99 1 year
from tender closing to tender award.
100 and above 2 years
from tender closing to tender award.

Company A accumulated 25 DPs on 1 January 2023.

Company A will be debarred from employing foreign workers under DPS, and will also be disqualified from taking part in public sector construction tenders, from 1 January 2023 to 1 April 2023.

Company A will also be disqualified from any tenders it is participating in but has not been awarded yet, even if the tender award date is after 1 April 2023.

Individual Government Procuring Entity (GPE) may set more stringent criteria based on their risk threshold. Companies should refer to the tender documents for the specific requirements of each tender.

For clarifications, you can make an enquiry online.