Universiti Malaya | Consultant Quantity Surveyor | Project, Risk and Value Management Specialist

Assoc. Prof. Sr Dr. Saipol Bari Abd Karim is an academic, researcher and registered Consultant Quantity Surveyor (CQS) with the Board of Quantity Surveyors Malaysia (BQSM). He specialises in project management, risk management, value engineering and value management, with extensive experience spanning academia, professional consultancy and the engineering and infrastructure sectors.

He currently serves as Director of the Alumni Engagement Centre, Universiti Malaya (2026–present). His previous university leadership appointments include Deputy Dean (Student Affairs), Faculty of Built Environment (2023–2026), Head of the Department of Quantity Surveying (2019–2021), and Programme Coordinator for the Master of Project Management (2016–2019).

He holds a PhD in Business Administration (Project Management) and an MSc in Management of Projects, both from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, as well as a Bachelor of Quantity Surveying (Honours) from Universiti Malaya. His postgraduate research focused on integrated risk and value management, project governance and risk management practices across major engineering and infrastructure sectors.

Prior to joining Universiti Malaya in 2005, he gained professional experience with Gamuda Berhad, MCM Associates and Dialog Group Berhad, managing contracts and commercial matters for major building, infrastructure, highway and oil and gas projects. His industry portfolio involved prominent organisations, including PETRONAS, Shell, ExxonMobil, Pertamina, BP, Malaysia Airlines, Public Works Department Malaysia and several multinational corporations.

His academic and professional contributions have received national and international recognition, most notably the Pacific Association of Quantity Surveyors (PAQS) Academic Excellence Award (2026). His institutional distinctions include two Excellence Service Awards (2019, 2024) and a Certificate of Excellence (2017) from Universiti Malaya, recognising his contributions to academic excellence and university service.

An active researcher and author, he has published extensively in project governance, risk management, value engineering and sustainable construction. His major books include Fundamentals and Practices of Value Engineering / Value Management (2024), and Project Risk Management: Principles and Procedures (2020), both published by Universiti Malaya Press. He has also contributed to national professional guidelines, competency standards and scholarly publications on construction project management, infrastructure development and emerging technologies.

A founding member of the Institute of Value Management Malaysia (IVMM) in 2000, he was elected Fellow in 2017 and has contributed to the development of Malaysia's National Value Management Guide and Value Management Competency Standards. He was also elected Fellow of the Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (RISM) in 2022 and has held various professional leadership appointments, including service on the IVMM Council and RISM's Education and Accreditation Board.

At the national level, he was appointed by the Minister of Works Malaysia as a Board Member of BQSM (2021–2023) and chaired the Quantity Surveying Accreditation Council (QSAC). He has also served on committees and advisory panels under the Ministry of Higher Education, Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), Public Works Department Malaysia and other professional and regulatory organisations. His contributions encompass professional accreditation, construction industry standards, competency development and higher education quality assurance.

Within Universiti Malaya, he has contributed to institutional governance, strategic partnerships, risk management and professional consultancy. Through UM Consult, he has provided quantity surveying and project risk management consultancy services for major development and infrastructure projects. He has also served on the university's MRT3 Advisory Committee and facilitated strategic collaborations with PETRONAS, China State Construction, Lum Chang Building Contractors Singapore and Public Works Department Malaysia.

In academic development, he was part of the pioneering team that established Universiti Malaya's Master of Project Management programme in 2007, which subsequently received international accreditation from the Project Management Institute's Global Accreditation Center, USA. He also introduced value and risk management into the university's undergraduate and postgraduate curricula, contributing to the advancement of project management and quantity surveying education in Malaysia.

His professional standing is further reflected through appointments as an external examiner, academic advisor, accreditation assessor and invited speaker for universities, government agencies and professional organisations in Malaysia and internationally. He has delivered professional training and presentations for organisations including CIDB, Public Works Department Malaysia, SAVE International, Value Analysis Canada and the Authority for Building Control and Construction Industry of Brunei Darussalam.

Throughout his career, Assoc. Prof. Sr Dr. Saipol Bari Abd Karim has contributed to bridging academic research, professional practice and national industry development, particularly in strengthening project governance, risk-informed decision-making, value management and professional education in the built environment.