Special Developments Special Infrastructures

Special Developments / Special Infrastructures

What are Special Developments / Special Infrastructures?

Special Developments / Special Infrastructures are buildings designated by the Minister for Home Affairs under the Infrastructure Protection Act. These buildings will need to comply with the Act.

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What will be designated as Special Developments / Special Infrastructures?

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What is Security-by-Design?

Security-by-Design is a process to ensure that security measures are incorporated when a building is designed, based on an assessment of the security risks to the building. It is overseen by the Commissioner (Infrastructure Protection), and takes place in tandem with the building development.

Who is the Responsible Person? What are the duties of the Responsible Person?

In general, the Responsible Person is the legal owner / occupier of the Special Development / Special Infrastructure. Some of the duties of the Responsible Person include:

Ensuring specified works commence only with Commissioner (Infrastructure Protection)’s approval of the security plan
Seeking Commissioner's approval for the Competent Person(s) preparing the security plan
Ensuring compliance to other laws and regulations in Singapore

Who is the Competent Person? What are the duties of the Competent Person?

A Competent Person is a person approved by the Commissioner of Infrastructure Protection to prepare security plans and certificates of works completion for a special development or special infrastructure. Competent Persons are usually security or blast consultants and may be in-house or commercial consultants.

Those applying to be Competent Person (Security) and Competent Person (Blast) will be subject to security screening and must fulfil the following minimum competency requirements:

Possess relevant experience (in recent 3 years) in the preparation of security plans under the MHA Security-By-Design review process; or
Possess relevant subject matter expertise and knowledge, with accredited referee reports or internationally published professional work [depending on the nature of the project]; or
Must be registered as an Accredited Security Consultant (Security Consultant Accreditation Program) or a Specialist Professional Engineer (Protective Security) with Professional Engineers Board.

Under the Infrastructure Protection Act, security plans for special developments or special infrastructures must be prepared by a Competent Person(s). Competent Persons are approved by the Commissioner of Infrastructure Protection in connection with the specified works on a case-by-case basis.

Is there a list of security / blast consultant who meet the minimum competency requirements?

The Responsible Person should review the suitability of the security and blast consultants based on the nature of works for your Special Development or Special Infrastructure.

Please refer here for a list of consultants who have fulfilled the minimum competency requirements. This list is only for reference and all appointments of Competent Persons are subject to the approval of the Commissioner of Infrastructure Protection on a case-by-case basis, in connection with the specified works. The list of consultants does not constitute legal, professional or commercial advice, and MHA will not be liable for any loss or damage resulting from the use of this information. You may also engage any security or blast consultants who are not on the list, and their competency will be assessed on a case-by-case basis to determine whether they are suitable during their application to be appointed as a Competent Person. For the avoidance of doubt, Consultants in the list are not automatically approved as a Competent Person. The assessment process for security or blast consultants who are not on the list will take approximately two months.

Security or blast consultants who wish to be assessed on the minimum competency requirements may apply using our online registration form. Please note that passing the minimum competency assessment does not mean automatic approval as a Competent Person. The Commissioner of Infrastructure Protection will consider each application to be appointed as a Competent Persons on a case-by-case basis.

When will the next competency assessment for security / blast consultant be held?

Please refer to the table below for the assessment schedules for security / blast consultants in 2025/2026.

Security Consultant Assessment Schedule (2025)
S/N	Assessment Date	Application Period
1	29 Jan 2025 (Wednesday)	Closed
2	28 May 2025 (Wednesday)	Closed
3	24 Sep 2025 (Wednesday)	24 Jul 2025 to 23 Aug 2025
Blast Consultant Assessment Schedule (2025/2026)
S/N	Assessment Date	Application Period
1	26 Mar 2025 (Wednesday)	Closed
2	24 Sep 2025 (Wednesday)	24 Jul 2025 to 23 Aug 2025
3	25 Mar 2026 (Wednesday)	25 Jan 2026 to 24 Feb 2026
		Updated as of 28 April 2025

Any reference materials?

Please refer to the guide for Responsible Persons below for more information.