TUESDAY, JULY 27, 1993
HK MAKES GOOD PROGRESS ON AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME
HONG KONG IS MAKING GOOD PROGRESS WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAMMES, THE DIRECTOR OF THE NEW AIRPORT PROJECTS CO-ORDINATION OFFICE (NAPCO), MR BILLY LAM, SAID IN SEATTLE, USA, YESTERDAY (MONDAY).
ON
MR LAM SAID REMARKABLE, VISIBLE PROGRESS HAD ALREADY BEEN MADE THE AIRPORT CORR PROGRAMME (ACP) SINCE THE SIGNING OF THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING TWO YEARS AGO,
THE RECENT CHINESE AGREEMENT ON THE WESTERN HARBOUR CROSSING FRANCHISE AND THE CENTRAL AND WANCHAI RECLAMATION PROJECT HAD GIVEN THE PROGRAMME FURTHER IMPETUS.
MR
LAM WAS SPEAKING AT THE OPENING SESSION OF THE PACIFIC RIM TRANSTECH CONFERENCE HELD BETWEEN JULY 25 AND 28 AT THE WASHINGTON STATE CONVENTION CENTRE IN SEATTLE.
OUTLINING PROGRESS OF THE ACP, MR LAM SAID TO DATE, PHYSICAL WORKS FOR SIX OF THE 10 ACP PROJECTS WERE ALREADY UNDER WAY AND OTHERS WOULD SOON BE STARTING. THESE SIX PROJECTS INCLUDED THE AIRPORT, TWO RECLAMATION PROJECTS AND MOST OF THE HIGHWAY PROJECTS.
"SO FAR, 27 MAJOR ACP CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS WORTH OVER US$4.5 BILLION (ABOUT HK$35 BILLION) HAVE BEEN LET, ALL ON SCHEDULE FOR COMPLETION AND WITHIN BUDGET.
OF THESE,
23 ARE GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS, AMOUNTING TO 68 PER CENT OF ALL GOVERNMENT ACP WORK BY VALUE, AND FOUR BELONG TO THE PROVISIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY, INCLUDING THE US$1. 2 BILLION (ABOUT
BILLION) SITE PREPARATION CONTRACT TO FORM THE AIRPORT ISLAND,"
HK$9 HE SAID.
MR LAM TOLD DELEGATES THAT IN LINE WITH HONG KONG'S TRADITIONAL FREE TRADE AND "OPEN DOOR" POLICY AS AN INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE, TRADE, FINANCIAL, AVIATION AND COMMUNICATIONS CENTRE, HONG KONG ENCOURAGED INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION IN ITS ACP PROJECTS AND ADOPTED A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD APPROACH TO TENDERERS IN ALL CONTRACTS.
WORLDWIDE.
"INDEED, THE ACP HAS ALREADY DRAWN PARTICIPATION FROM COUNTRIES TAKING THE LEAD IN MAJOR CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS AWARDED ARE COMPANIES FROM JAPAN (23 PER CENT BY VALUE), FOLLOWED BY THE UK
(18.5 PER CENT) AND THE NETHERLANDS (14.8 PER CENT), HE SAID.
MR LAM ADDED THAT IN ORDER TO MEET THE PRIME OBJECTIVE OF COMPLETING ALL 10 PROJECTS ON SCHEDULE AND WITHIN BUDGET, AN OVERALL BASELINE PLAN HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED TO SET DOWN THE FIRM SCOPE, CRITICAL PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES AND MILESTONES, AND DETAILED BUDGET FOR THE WHOLE ACP.
OF
"TOGETHER WITH A FIRM CASH LIMIT ON EACH PROJECT, AND A REGIME FIXED PRICE LUMP SUM CONTRACTS AWARDED AFTER OPEN COMPETITIVE TENDERING, I AM HAPPY TO SAY THAT, SO FAR, THE ACP IS ON SCHEDULE FOR COMPLETION AND WITHIN BUDGET.
"THIS IS, BY ANY STANDARD, A REMARKABLE INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAMME OF SUCH SCALE, HE SAID.
ACHIEVEMENT FOR AN
/ON THE