MOM splurges $272k on $575 designer chairs. Is the Manpower Min being imprudent?

[Char_Azn]

Re: MOM splurges $272k on $575 designer chairs. Is the Manpower Min being imprudent

I am pretty sure with all the brains in the Civil Service, most on relax mode, they can initiate something more meaningful.

Decades ago, wanted to go for a learning trip up north. Put in proposal. Rejected. Appealed. Later, went through. Was 'adviced' not to take for granted these trips will be OKed in future. I told the chap it was not $$$ I wanted as I could always drive up to KL without claiming mileage or whatever. I wanted official leave!

These days it's not the same as it used to be. They are running it a lot more like corporate entities. According to a few of my friends, in the old days it's a very relaxing and just wait for their iron rice bowl pay every month. These days are gone, a lot more work to do. A few of them quit and joined the private sector after the convert a large portion to contract jobs.

 

[Rogue Trader]

Re: MOM splurges $272k on $575 designer chairs. Is the Manpower Min being imprudent

Its seat and back are made up of loops and cells which flex individually to give good support.

Fucking waste of money. Just give them a beanbag each. Everybody knows civil servants are spineless!

 

[Char_Azn]

Re: MOM splurges $272k on $575 designer chairs. Is the Manpower Min being imprudent

Not all the part are warranty. Should read the fine print and lobour cost is not free.
Warranty 12 year maybe body. Not included roller/wheel and they can mark up labour cost to $150/chair but free part.
That the business game.

Yes I know what U mean. Companies will always snake their way around it, it's a constant battle sometimes but at the end of the day if it's under warranty they will need to fix it. I have to deal with this kind of stuff from time to time. When the laptops breaks down, the freaking company will claim this one not covered that one not covered. Usually U need to screw them upside down to get them to fix it. I could have ask the company to stop buying branded system and start getting DIY ones but ultimately the tradeoff for paying a bit extra is I do not need to worry about fixing hardware all the time. When it breaks down we get the vendor to do it. As oppose to having to hire a guy running around fixing hardware and paying to get every single piece changed. In the long run, paying that extra is beneficial

I don't think any one is dumb enough to pay for warranty and expect to pay another $150 just to get the chair fixed.

 

[rollingmon]

Re: MOM splurges $272k on $575 designer chairs. Is the Manpower Min being imprudent

the chair got so ex anot? under table deal???

 

[cowbellc]

Re: MOM splurges $272k on $575 designer chairs. Is the Manpower Min being imprudent

Just posted this in the other forum I'll just copy it here

Actually it's not that expensive if you work it out from a corporate company's point of view. It's only expensive if you only look at the up front cost. However U have take into account the warranty period of the Chair which in this case is 12 years. The Chair is an asset and its value depreciates over that 12 years.

$575 a chair, over 12 years is about $48 a year. It's actually cheaper for them to buy something like that then to buy say a $100 chair with a warranty of only 2 years. In the record books they are losing just $48 a year as compared to $50 a year for the cheaper chair. Yeah it kinda sounds stupid but that's what my Finance pple taught me how to look at fixed assets

Of coz this being a chair U will sit in for 12 years, it has to be nice and comfortable to sit in for prolong periods of time so cost is not always the top piority

From economical theory it stands correct.
But in pratical it will not stand unless they are going to use the chairs for full 12 years. If they are going to change chairs just after 3 years, the equation will be 575/3 = 192 per yr. If that's the case, then a $100 chair will well suit the purpose. Not to mention they are just going to sit there for only 7 hours minus lunch hours.

 

[jw5]

Re: MOM splurges $272k on $575 designer chairs. Is the Manpower Min being imprudent

Fucking waste of money. Just give them a beanbag each. Everybody knows civil servants are spineless!

You give them a beanbag and they will fall asleep in front of you, and claim that's what their boss intended.

 

[Char_Azn]

Re: MOM splurges $272k on $575 designer chairs. Is the Manpower Min being imprudent

From economical theory it stands correct.
But in pratical it will not stand unless they are going to use the chairs for full 12 years. If they are going to change chairs just after 3 years, the equation will be 575/3 = 192 per yr. If that's the case, then a $100 chair will well suit the purpose. Not to mention they are just going to sit there for only 7 hours minus lunch hours.

The chairs have a 12 year warranty, they have no business using the chairs for only 3 years.

 

[streetsmart73]

Re: MOM splurges on $575 designer chairs. Is the Manpower Minister being imprudent?

Civil service must be changing. My time, everything must be the cheapest. Wonder what Head of Civil Service has to say on these purchases. Why only MOM gets this benefit? Get OSIM for their staff to relax next?

hi there

1. dragon, there is no golden backside during your time, right!
2. there isn't some piggy at the top too!
3. now, we know where are our hard earned monies are consumed.

 

[SIFU]

Re: MOM splurges $272k on $575 designer chairs. Is the Manpower Min being imprudent

EDB used to occupy biopolis. expensive office furniture (partition, desk, chairs etc) and very expensive reno. when they moved to fusionopolis, they left everything there for the incoming tenant. everything in fusionopolis they only want brand new. wtf is this

no wastage in civil service? dun kid. pap dog. pui.

 

[streetsmart73]

Re: MOM splurges $272k on $575 designer chairs. Is the Manpower Min being imprudent

Not all the part are warranty. Should read the fine print and lobour cost is not free.
Warranty 12 year maybe body. Not included roller/wheel and they can mark up labour cost to $150/chair but free part.
That the business game.

hi there

1. aiyoh!
2. this is just to justify the purchase mah!
3. honest, i have a chair, a regular office chair that i purchased cheap at one of those local furniture joints for s$50.00
4. it is working fine since 1993.

 

[zhihau]

Re: MOM splurges on $575 designer chairs. Is the Manpower Minister being imprudent?

Wonder what Head of Civil Service has to say on these purchases.

how come cannot convert the budget surplus into employee's bonuses? :p:p:p

 

[aangsc]

Re: MOM splurges $272k on $575 designer chairs. Is the Manpower Min being imprudent

Isn't it just a few years back that Temasek Holding also spent many hundreds $ on each chair. Maybe , they feel more 'productive' & 'efficient' sitting on expensive chair.

 

[khunking]

Re: MOM splurges $272k on $575 designer chairs. Is the Manpower Min being imprudent

Maybe there's a 10% kickback for someone.

Is Gan Kim Yong being imprudent?

http://news.omy.sg/News/Local+News/Story/OMYStory201103250036-232118.html

Designer chairs for MOM staff

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has spent almost $272,000 to buy a total of 472 Herman Miller chairs for its staff.

 

[Char_Azn]

Re: MOM splurges on $575 designer chairs. Is the Manpower Minister being imprudent?

how come cannot convert the budget surplus into employee's bonuses? :p:p:p

The whole budgeting process is very stupid. If you need to do budgeting like me you will understand. It goes something like this

1)Think of what projects or expense U need to do next year and come up with a list
2)Put the money needed for each project(including hardware cost, consultancy cost, and travel expense) by doing research or pluck the figure out of the sky
3)Present figure to your Boss.
4)You Boss will cut a small amount from that figure to present to his boss so that it looks good
5)His Boss wil present to the Big Bosses and Finance pple to calculate if they have enough money
6)If they don't like the name of your project or if they dun have enough money they cut a big chunk from your figure
7)Then they give U the budget figure for the year
8)If not enough money then U hon kan coz still expected to complete the project
9)If enough money but U send too little then next budget they will claim last time give U so much U never spend that means U overbudgeting so will give U even less next year.

That's why all the stupid thing about having to spend all the money in your budget before year end

 

[zhihau]

Re: MOM splurges $272k on $575 designer chairs. Is the Manpower Min being imprudent

Maybe there's a 10% kickback for someone.

please correct me if i'm mistaken. last heard that the company/individual must be registered to GeBiz account before one can tender quotations. where small businesses without registration to the GeBiz list being unable to tender quotations, where's the integrity? service? excellence?

 

[zhihau]

Re: MOM splurges on $575 designer chairs. Is the Manpower Minister being imprudent?

That's why all the stupid thing about having to spend all the money in your budget before year end

i understand the budgeting process. question is: the audit will soon show up that the monies are spent elsewhere rather than its intended purpose.

so why not include a clause stating that a portion of the surplus from budget be factored into employee's bonuses as a reward since they are able to source a cheaper and better substitute for the product, hence helping their company save some money?

i know this sounds a bit dumb because this will make the person who approve the initial budget look extremely stupid :p:p:p

 

[Char_Azn]

Re: MOM splurges on $575 designer chairs. Is the Manpower Minister being imprudent?

The auditing process won't be a problem as long as U can justify your purchase. Ultimately it's your boss who is the one who deals with misuse of funds so U need to justify that to your boss. Obviously you don't go around buying luxury items, you're buying practical items which will help in your work. No real reason why he should be saying no to it

 

[zhihau]

Re: MOM splurges on $575 designer chairs. Is the Manpower Minister being imprudent?

i'm learning a lot from you, thanks bro

 

[Conan the Barbarian]

Re: MOM splurges $272k on $575 designer chairs. Is the Manpower Min being imprudent

At $575 per chair, it is very reasonable. This kind is a lot more long lasting
than those $200 type you see in courts, ikea and neighbourhood shops.
It is also a lot more comfortable.

I will be very upset if we are given cheap chairs to sit on in the office,
more so for these MOM people as their ass is glued to the chair about
8 hours everyday.

Lets not begrudge our civil servants some comfort just because of some
dislike for the ruling party.

 

[Devil Within]

Re: MOM splurges $272k on $575 designer chairs. Is the Manpower Min being imprudent

...these MOM people as their ass is glued to the chair about
8 hours everyday.

Lets not begrudge our civil servants some comfort just because of some
dislike for the ruling party.

As if they are the only ones who are glued to chairs. There are even more struggling hard working tax payers who can't even sit and don't even have proper chairs! Think! If these jokers want some comfort, might as well go to private sectors where they can actually produce wealth and then demand for better treatment. Government sectors are cost centers. They are not wealth producers. They leeches from tax payers.