Housing professional says 'loopholes exist' in tendering for Hong Kong public flats, but not to blame for tainted water
System is not perfect but Housing Authority official denies cheapest bids win by default
Loopholes exist in tender processes for the construction of public housing, a quantity surveyor who oversees bidding exercises at the Housing Authority has admitted.
But the authority did not award its contracts to the lowest bidders by default, Cheung Tat-tong said, denying claims the city's tainted-water scandal was due to cheap building works.
Cheung chairs a new eight-member committee under the authority tasked with reviewing quality control and works supervision of water supplies at public housing. He expects to complete a full review in three to five months, inclusive of recommendations for the government.
Its goal was "not to find out who was responsible" for the excessive lead found in tap water, but to determine what went wrong along the way.
"Our committee's job is to review, to look internally at [how to improve] our existing mechanism. There are definitely loopholes," Cheung said on DBC Radio yesterday.
"Are the problems in product specifications, materials procurement, the inspection or the delivery of materials? Or are the problems in choosing the contractor or in the tender process?"
Additionally, he dismissed reports that the authority picked the cheapest bidder, saying it adhered to a "two-envelope" tender process.
