XN000022-1982-05-19 — Page 11

WRONESDAY, MAY 19, 1982

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*EXTENSIONS OF TIME ARE PROPERLY GRANTED WITHIN THE TERMS OF A CONTRACT WHERE VALID REASONS EXIST. NOT SURPRISINGLY, THE LARGER THE VALUE OF THE CONTRACT, AND THE LONGER THE CONTRACT PERIOD, THE GREATER THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE ORIGINAL CONTRACT COMPLETION DATE WILL NOT BE MET.+

MR CHING POINTED OUT THAT A COMPLETION DATE FOR A PROJECT AS A WHOLE HAD SELDOM BEEN PRE-DETERMINED WITH ANY PRECISION.

→IT HAS BEEN THE PRACTICE TO ESTABLISH SUCH A DATE ONLY WHERE IT HAS BEEN IMPERATIVE TO ENSURE THE COMPLETION OF A PROJECT BY A GIVEN DEADLINE, HE ADDED.

HE SAID THE NEED TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF PROJECTS, AS DISTINCT FROM CONTRACTS, MORE CLOSELY HAD BEEN RECOGNISED.

*THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A SYSTEM FOR IMPROVED PROJECT MANAGEMENT IS ONE OF THE SPECIFIC TASKS IDENTIFIED FOR THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED LANDS AND WORKS BRANCH, AND SUCH A SYSTEM IS NOW BEING SET UP.+

MR CHING SAID 56 CONTRACTS WERE DUE FOR COMPLETION IN 1980-81 RELATING TO 34 LARGE PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS. ONLY TWO OF THESE 56 CONTRACTS HAD A VALUE IN EXCESS OF $50 MILLION EACH, AND NEITHER WAS COMPLETED BY THE CONTRACT COMPLETION DATE.

IN 1981-82, 58 CONTRACTS WERE DUE FOR COMPLETION RELATING TO 39 LARGE PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS. OF THESE 58 CONTRACTS, FIVE HAD A VALUE IN EXCESS OF $50 MILLION EACH AND ALL FIVE HAD NOT BEEN COMPLETED BY THE IR CONTRACT COMPLETION DATES.

AIRPORT TUNNEL

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THE OPENING OF THE FIRST TUBE OF THE AIRPORT TUNNEL TO TWO-WAY TRAFFIC SHOULD BE POSSIBLE BY THE END OF NEXT MONTH, THE SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS, THE HON DAVID MCDONALD SAID TODAY.

REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY REV THE HON JOYCE BENNETT IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, HE SAID THAT THE OPENING OF THE SECOND TUBE OF THE TUNNEL WAS STILL SCHEDULED FOR THE END OF THIS YEAR,

MR MCDONALD RECALLED THAT IN ANSWER TO A QUESTION BY MISS BENNETT IN MAY LAST YEAR, IT WAS SAID THAT ONE TUBE OF THE TUNNEL WOULD BE OPENED TO TWO-WAY TRAFFIC AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR AND THE OPENING OF THE SECOND TUBE WAS EXPECTED TO BE AT THE END OF THIS YEAR.

HOWEVER, HE SAID, IT WAS POINTED OUT AT THAT TIME THAT THE MOST CRITICAL PROBLEM WHICH COULD AFFECT THE TUNNEL OPENING DATE WAS THE SUPPLY AND INSTALLATION OF THE SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM.

HE ADDED, +AS IT TURNED OUT POOR PROGRESS BY THE OVERSEAS MANUFACTURER OF THE TRAFFIC CONTROL AND SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM DID CAUSE DELAY.+

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