URA could step in early in maintenance projects: Linn

Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn said the government is studying whether the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) should step in early for building maintenance projects, on top of taking up a more active role in advising owners how to evaluate contractors.

A new tendering platform is set to be launched by the URA in the fourth quarter of this year, with an aim to curb bid-rigging and increase transparency of building maintenance contracts.

Called "Smart Tender", the fee-based service includes the provision of a qualified list of consultants and contractors, while users will receive advice from the URA along the way.

But there are now calls for authorities to do more following the deadly Wang Fuk Court inferno.

Speaking on a TVB programme, Linn agreed that even before the project went to the tendering stage, the URA can step in and review the building inspection report.

This, she said, can prevent contractors from exaggerating defects and inflating the scope and cost of necessary repairs.

"Building inspection is a very critical starting point, because the problems found during the inspection will affect the scope of maintenance," she said.

"Sometimes, if the problem is not that big but is made to sound very serious, owners would have to do much more work. So we need to consider whether the government should play an earlier review role in the building inspection report stage."

Linn acknowledged that narrowing down the criteria for contractor vetting is fraught with nuances.

While falsifying documents is a clear red line, she said other violations such as labour disputes or missing paperwork are more ambiguous.

"To what extent should we count these so-called 'past records'? Because if we count everything — including things unrelated to safety but still involving violations — wouldn't that make our pre-qualification list impractical?

"Also, should we count past records based on prosecutions, or based on actual successful convictions? These are the nuances we need to work out."

Under the "Smart Tender" framework, the URA will assume responsibility for evaluating tenders — a departure from the current practice.

Linn noted the initiative's name may be revised to reflect this broader scope, which will also involve stronger participation from government departments.

Edited by Raymond Yeung ...