Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man said yesterday that the government will require building contractors carrying out public projects to prioritise the hiring of local residents, according to a statement by his office.
Tam made the remarks during a meeting with senior representatives from six major associations representing the city’s building contractors, architects and civil engineers, where they exchanged views on topics such as helping young local people join the construction industry and possible improvements to the government’s tendering process for public construction projects.
Top officials of several bureaus under his portfolio also attended yesterday’s meeting.
According to the statement, Tam said during the meeting that with the aim of creating more employment opportunities for local residents to join the city’s construction sector and promoting the training and development of qualified professionals in the sector, tendering notices for public projects to be launched by public entities under his portfolio will lay out requirements for the respective winning bidders to prioritise the hiring of local workers. Moreover, Tam said, the notices will also list a minimum required ratio of local workers in relation to the total number of workers to be hired by the winning bidders.
Tam underlined that the new measure aims to encourage winning bidders for public projects to gradually increase the percentage of local workers in technical, managerial, and professional job positions, providing more opportunities for local residents, young people in particular, to join the construction industry, receive training and get promoted in the sector.
Meanwhile, Tam also said during the meeting that the government will further improve its system for launching and carrying out tenders for public construction projects, with the aim of fostering healthier competition in the construction industry and its sustainable development.
Tam noted that in the past, some public projects were affected by delayed schedules and quality below the required standards because they were carried out by winning bidders who provided abnormally low bidding prices.
According to the statement, Tam said that the government will study the feasibility of amending the modus operandi of its process to launch tenders by invitation for public construction projects, where bidders offering the most reasonable prices would win a tender, a change from the current practice where those offering the lowest prices win a tender.
Flanked by officials under his portfolio, Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man (second from right) addresses yesterday’s meeting held at his office, located in the Bank of China Building in Nam Van, with representatives from six major associations representing the city’s building contractors, architects and civil engineers. – Photo: Tam’s office
This handout photo taken in March and downloaded from the Public Works Bureau’s (DSOP) website yesterday shows the basement work of the ongoing new central library project, which is being carried out on the site where the former Hotel Estoril was located.
