A generation built for collaboration - Singapore’s youth as a catalyst for NEC contracting

Associate Professor Gabriel Kor, National University of Singapore, Singapore 

Singapore is at a pivotal moment in its built environment journey, shaped not only by maturing policies and technologies, but also by a new generation whose instincts align well with the collaborative philosophy of NEC. When these elements converge, the potential impact on the sector, whether in construction or facilities management, is profound and encouraging.  

Industry foundations already lean towards collaboration  

Over the past decade in Singapore, national initiatives by forward-thinking public agencies such as the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) have driven industry transformation through Building Information Modelling (BIM), Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD), Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) and digital collaboration platforms. These have reshaped expectations on how teams coordinate, communicate and solve problems, and have steadily normalised integrated and transparent ways of working. These are not mere tools but behavioural nudges towards early visibility of issues, shared accountability and structured co-operation.  
 

In truth, much of Singapore’s public sector was already working ‘in the spirit of NEC’ long before the contracts were formally adopted. Digital twins, co-located teams, model-based coordination and shared dashboards reflect principles NEC has long championed. As practitioners often remark, ‘The work is easy; the people make it hard’.

much of Singapore’s public sector was already working ‘in the spirit of NEC’ long before the contracts were formally adopted.

Better communication reduces disputes and Singapore’s systems quietly embedded this logic years ago.  

Coming of age 

What accelerates the story now is the mindset of Singapore’s younger generation. As a university educator, when I look at the undergraduates in our built environment programmes – be it engineering, project management, quantity surveying or architecture – I see the emergence of a different way of thinking. I see a cohort for whom collaboration is not an aspiration but a default mode of operating.  

These are individuals who were mainly born between 1997 and 2012 (ie Gen Z), all of whom grew up with shared documents, live editing tools and constant feedback loops. They value clarity over hierarchy and purpose over protocol. 

While collaborative instincts and experience among the younger generation are common worldwide, Singapore’s education system in particular embeds structured teamwork in a systematic way. At high school, ‘Project Work’ is a compulsory, team-based A-Level module, requiring students to research, propose, and present solutions collectively with defined roles and peer accountability. At university, courses in built environment emphasise multidisciplinary, project-based learning through design studios, capstone projects, and industry-linked simulations that mirror integrated project environments. Many students will therefore enter the workforce having been accustomed to structured collaboration since they were teenagers.  

So, when NEC concepts are introduced, nothing feels foreign. Early warnings look like the familiar concept of spotting and raising ‘red flags’ in any interaction. Live, shared programmes resemble digital dashboards. Mutual trust and co-operation echo the team-oriented culture they are used to.  

So, when NEC concepts are introduced, nothing feels foreign.

Explain NEC to the uninitiated with decades of adversarial contracting experience and their response might be, ‘This is a big shift. I don’t think it’s going to work’. Explain NEC to a 21-year-old and you will likely hear, ‘Isn’t that normal?’. This generational difference is one of the strongest reasons Singapore is primed for collaborative contracting.  

Explain NEC to the uninitiated with decades of adversarial contracting experience and their response might be, ‘This is a big shift. I don’t think it’s going to work’. Explain NEC to a 21-year-old and you will likely hear, ‘Isn’t that normal?

Today’s young professionals seek work that matters. They want to be heard. They appreciate leaders who listen and teams that operate with integrity. NEC’s ethos – built on transparency, mutual trust, and early issue-resolution – resonates deeply with them. It reframes construction and FM work as people-centred and purpose-driven. For many, this is both refreshing and motivating.  

A national culture that supports NEC-style behaviours  

Singapore’s wider cultural environment reinforces these instincts.  

We value competence, clarity and respectful dialogue. We solve problems through diplomacy and structure rather than confrontation. We uphold reliability and operate within well-defined governance frameworks and the rule of law.  

These inherent traits create fertile ground for NEC behaviours such as early warnings, shared risk registers, open conversations and transparent programming. The contract provides the mechanism and our people supply the temperament.  

Moreover, Singapore’s Gen Z are ‘digital natives’ who see technology as an enabler. Their familiarity and ease with AI, data visualisation, and digital workflows aligns perfectly with the direction in which NEC project management is moving. As NEC Digital gains traction, this generation will not only adapt; they will push boundaries and shape new norms.  

Singapore’s megaprojects such as Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) expansions (ie the Singapore metro), Long Island, Changi Airport developments, coastal protection works all demand multidisciplinary alignment. Success depends on transparent information flows and collective problem-solving.  

Our institutions, public agencies, and digital infrastructure already support such collaboration. NEC simply provides a contractual scaffold that brings behaviours, incentives, and culture together. 

A landscape already sprouting  

When all these strands are woven together, the picture becomes clear. Singapore is not becoming fertile ground for collaborative contracting – it already is.  

Our systems encourage it. Our technologies enable it. Our youth embody it.  

The task ahead is to nurture these instincts, align them with the right contractual frameworks, and empower the next generation to carry Singapore’s built-environment sector into a future defined by openness, collaboration and innovation.  

If we do this well, and guard against slipping back into traditional adversarial contracting practices, Singapore will not only embrace collaborative contracting but also shape its evolution for Southeast Asia and beyond.