Professional Engineers Act

(CHAPTER 253)

(Original Enactment: Act 23 of 1991)

REVISED EDITION 1992

(9th March 1992)

An Act to establish the Professional Engineers Board, to provide for the registration of professional engineers, to regulate the qualifications and conduct of persons that carry out professional engineering work, and to regulate corporations, partnerships, limited liability partnerships and limited partnerships which supply professional engineering services in Singapore.

[Act 36 of 2017 wef 15/01/2018]

[30th August 1991]

PART I

PRELIMINARY

Short title

1. This Act may be cited as the Professional Engineers Act.

Interpretation

2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —

“allied professional” means —

(a)	an architect who is registered under the Architects Act [Cap. 12]; or
(b)	a land surveyor who is registered under the Land Surveyors Act [Cap. 156];

“Board” means the Professional Engineers Board established under section 4;

“builder”, “building” and “building works” have the same meanings as in the Building Control Act (Cap. 29);

“building authority” means any person empowered under the provisions of the Building Control Act to approve plans of building works;

“certificate of registration” means the certificate of registration issued under section 17;

“Disciplinary Committee” means a Disciplinary Committee appointed under section 31C;

“foreign engineer” means any person who is authorised to carry out professional engineering work in a country or territory outside Singapore under the law of that country or territory;

[Act 36 of 2017 wef 15/01/2018]

“Investigation Committee” means an Investigation Committee appointed under section 30;

“Investigation Panel” means the Investigation Panel appointed under section 27;

“licence” means a licence to supply professional engineering services granted under section 20;

“licensed”, in relation to a corporation, partnership or limited liability partnership, means a corporation, partnership or limited liability partnership which has in force a licence;

“licensed professional engineering practice” means —

(a)	a limited corporation licensed under section 20(1);
(b)	an unlimited corporation licensed under section 20(2);
(c)	a partnership licensed under section 20(3); or
(d)	a limited liability partnership licensed under section 20(4); [Act 36 of 2017 wef 15/01/2018]

“limited liability partnership” has the same meaning given to it by section 4(1) of the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005 (Act 5 of 2005);

“limited partnership” means a limited partnership registered under the Limited Partnerships Act (Cap. 163B);

[Act 36 of 2017 wef 15/01/2018]

“manager” —

(a)	in relation to a corporation or partnership, means the principal executive officer of the corporation or partnership for the time being by whatever name called and whether or not he is a director or partner thereof; and
(b)	in relation to a limited liability partnership, has the same meaning as in section 2(1) of the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005;

“nominee”, in relation to any person, means a person who is accustomed or under an obligation (whether formal or informal) to act in accordance with directions, instructions or wishes of the first-mentioned person, except that a person shall not be regarded as a nominee of another person by reason only that he acts on the advice given by that other person in a professional capacity;

“partnership” includes a limited partnership;

[Act 36 of 2017 wef 15/01/2018]

“practising certificate” —

(a)	in relation to a registered professional engineer, means an annual certificate issued under section 18 authorising him to engage in professional engineering work in Singapore;
(b)	in relation to an allied professional who is an architect registered under the Architects Act (Cap. 12), means a practising certificate issued under section 18 of that Act; and
(c)	in relation to an allied professional who is a land surveyor registered under the Land Surveyors Act (Cap. 156), means a practising certificate issued under section 15 of that Act;

“prescribed branch of professional engineering work” means professional engineering work in any of the following branches of engineering:

(a)	chemical engineering;
(b)	civil engineering;
(c)	electrical engineering;
(d)	mechanical engineering;
(e)	such other branches of engineering as may be prescribed; [Act 36 of 2017 wef 15/01/2018]

“President” means the President of the Board;

“professional engineering services” means consultancy or advisory services that require a person to engage in professional engineering work;

“professional engineering work” includes any professional service, consultation, investigation, evaluation, planning, design, or responsible supervision of construction or operation in connection with any public or privately owned public utilities, buildings, machines, equipment, processes, works or projects wherein the public interest and welfare, or the safeguarding of life, public health or property is concerned or involved, and that requires the application of engineering principles and data;

“register of licensees” means the register of licensed corporations, partnerships and limited liability partnerships kept by the Board under section 8(1)(c);

“register of practitioners” means the annual register of practitioners kept by the Board under section 8(1)(b);

“register of professional engineers” means the register of professional engineers kept by the Board under section 8(1)(a);

“registered” means registered under section 15 and cognate expressions shall be construed accordingly;

“Registrar” means the Registrar of the Board, and includes any individual acting in that capacity;

[Act 5 of 2018 wef 01/04/2018]

“rules” means rules made by the Board under section 36;

“specialist professional engineer” means a person registered under section 15A as a specialist professional engineer;

[Act 36 of 2017 wef 15/01/2018]

“unlimited corporation” means a corporation formed on the principle of having no limit placed on the liability of its members.

Act not to apply to Government, etc.

3.—(1) Nothing in this Act shall apply to anything done or omitted to be done by the Government or by a public officer under the authority of the Government.

(2) This Act shall not be construed as requiring any public authority which supplies professional engineering services in Singapore under the provisions of any written law to obtain a licence; and in this subsection, “public authority” means any body established by or under any written law and exercising powers vested therein by written law for a public purpose.

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