Hong Kong LegCo passes motion to combat bid-rigging in building maintenance
Hong Kong's Legislative Council passed a motion and amendments targeting bid-rigging in building maintenance. The government will consult on criminalising bid-rigging, set up a building maintenance support bureau, and form a joint task force led by the security secretary to crack down on cartels.
Hong Kong's Legislative Council on 4 November passed a private member's motion and related amendments aimed at cracking down on bid-rigging in building maintenance works. The motion was moved by New Territories South East constituency lawmaker Ngan Siu-mui, who said the government had proposed criminalising bid-rigging and expected authorities to ensure implementation of measures to combat the practice, revise regulations and provide support for maintenance.
Some lawmakers backed the establishment of a Building Maintenance Support and Services Bureau, which would compile and manage a pre-qualification list to exclude substandard contractors. They also supported setting up a joint task force to carry out a full-scale crackdown on bid-rigging syndicates.
Security Secretary Tang Siu-keung told the legislature the joint task force would create a special operational mechanism targeting bid-rigging groups, enhancing intelligence gathering and sharing, joint enforcement and risk alerts. Tang said he would personally coordinate the task force, which would include the police, the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Competition Commission. It would combine enforcement powers from various departments, take the initiative to strike, form special teams for specific syndicates or cases, focus on assessing risks, deploy operations and supervise implementation to boost efficiency and enforcement effectiveness in cracking down on bid-rigging in building maintenance works.
Tang added that the government would continue to integrate coordination among various government departments and joint enforcement actions to maximise the coverage of anti-bid-rigging efforts, ensuring that lawbreakers could not hide and would not escape the net.
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau said the government would soon begin stakeholder consultations on criminalising bid-rigging and would aim to submit the relevant amendment bill to LegCo as early as possible.
Deputy Development Secretary Clement Lam said the government would set up the Building Maintenance Support and Services Bureau by the end of this year to provide owners with new maintenance and support services. The government would also amend the Buildings Ordinance to strengthen regulation of professionals and contractors involved in major maintenance works. Regarding suggestions that private property owners could simply pay the government to carry out maintenance on their behalf, Lam said the matter required careful handling, as full agency would deviate from the principle that owners are responsible for maintaining their properties, might make people feel the government had reduced owners' choices, and excessive government intervention could affect market competition, making it a very complex issue that required careful consideration.