TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 1994
AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME ATTRACTS KEEN INTEREST
THE LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION SECTORS HAVE RESPONDED ENTHUSIASTICALLY TO THE CONTRACTS AWARDED UNDER THE AIRPORT CORE
PROGRAMME (ACP).
THIS WAS STATED BY THE DIRECTOR OF THE NEW AIRPORT PROJECTS CO- ORDINATION OFFICE (NAPCO), MR BILLY LAM, TODAY (TUESDAY) AT A MEETING OF THE SUB-COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL MATTERS OF THE AIRPORT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE WHERE MEMBERS WERE CONSULTED ON ACP COSTS.
MR LAM SAID THE KEEN BIDDING BY COMPANIES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD HAD RESULTED IN MORE FAVOURABLE TENDER PRICES AND HELPED TO KEEP THE PROGRAMME WITHIN BUDGET,
SO FAR 43 MAJOR CONTRACTS VALUED AT ABOUT $48 BILLION HAVE BEEN AWARDED TO HONG KONG AND OVERSEAS CONTRACTORS BY THE GOVERNMENT, THE PROVISIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY AND THE WESTERN HARBOUR TUNNEL COMPANY LIMITED.
TAKING THE LEAD IN MAJOR CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS AWARDED SO FAR WERE COMPANIES FROM JAPAN (27 PER CENT BY VALUE), FOLLOWED BY HONG KONG (18.9 PER CENT), THE UNITED KINGDOM (13.8 PER CENT), THE NETHERLANDS (11 PER CENT), CHINA (7.6 PER CENT) AND FRANCE (6.8 PER CENT).
MR LAM SAID THE ACP HAD ALREADY DRAWN PARTICIPATION FROM COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE AND HE WAS CONFIDENT THAT IT WOULD CONTINUE TO ATTRACT INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION.
AT THE MEETING, MEMBERS WERE ALSO BRIEFED ON THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND THE SYSTEM OF TIGHT COST CONTROL THAT IS MAINTAINED OVER THE ACP BY THE DEPUTY CONSULTANT PROJECT MANAGER OF NAPCO, MR NORMAN SHOTWELL.
ON COST CONTROL, MR SHOTWELL SAID THE GOVERNMENT MAINTAINED CLOSE CONTROL OVER THE MANAGEMENT OF THE ACP PROJECTS AND THEIR COSTS WITH A VIEW TO COMPLETING THE PROJECTS ON TIME AND WITHIN BUDGET.
HE SAID ALL WORKS DEPARTMENTS AND NON-GOVERNMENT AGENCIES INVOLVED IN THE ACP WERE REQUIRED то PARTICIPATE IN A PROJECT REPORTING SYSTEM IN WHICH PROGRESS OF INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS AND DETAILS OF THE CONTRACT ACTIVITIES WERE REPORTED REGULARLY TO NAPCO.
APART FROM PROJECT REPORTING, THE GOVERNMENT HAS DEVISED A "CASH LIMITING COST CONTROL" SYSTEM WHICH IS AIMED AT KEEPING THE OVERALL COST OF ITS ACP PROJECTS UNDER STRICT CONTROL.
UNDER THE SYSTEM, CHANGES IN THE SCOPE AND ESTIMATES OF A PROJECT HAVE TO BE APPROVED BY THE AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT STEERING COMMITTEE CHAIRED BY THE CHIEF SECRETARY.
MR SHOTWELL SAID INCREASES IN COST ESTIMATES WOULD NOT NORMALLY APPROVED UNLESS THEY WERE OFFSET BY SAVINGS IDENTIFIED IN OTHER AREAS WITHIN THE ACP.
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MEMBERS ALSO RECEIVED A BRIEFING ON THE LATEST ESTIMATES OF THE ACP FROM THE DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR THE TREASURY, MR STEPHEN SELBY.
/THE OVERALL