SINGAPORE – Licensed plumbers here now have their own online marketplace where they can submit bids for projects listed by interior designers, facility managers and other qualified professionals.

Launched on Friday by the Singapore Plumbing Society (SPS) in collaboration with the Public Utilities Board (PUB), the Tender/Job Portal is the first such platform by an industry body of a skilled trade.

The digital marketplace is part of ongoing efforts to step up work standards and job prospects for plumbers in Singapore.

The design of the site took in feedback from SPS members, such as the need for larger fonts and simpler language because plumbers tend to be older.

It is expected to increase ease of access to services from licensed plumbers, while keeping pricing transparent and fair by allowing licensed plumbers to bid at prices they are confident of delivering quality services at, said the society’s president Dickrose Masalamani.

He expressed hopes that having licensed plumbers close at hand will raise awareness among potential clients on the importance of hiring licensed plumbers, as well as spur unlicensed plumbers to upskill and comply with industry standards.

To get licensed, plumbers need to hold selected qualifications from BCA Academy or the Institute of Technical Education, as well as work under a licensed plumber’s supervision for two years.

This allows them to deal with more complex and critical water infrastructure, such as water pumps to Housing Board blocks, compared to basic pipe, hose and tap replacements handymen can do.

“Licensed plumbers have to follow a code of practice... whereas unlicensed plumbers without any education in plumbing may just do work according to their imagination and their standard,” said Mr Masalamani, one of over 1,000 licensed plumbers in Singapore.

Examples of shoddy w...