XN000022-1991-06-26 — Page 26

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 1991

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GOVT SOURCES ITS SUPPLIES WORLDWIDE

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THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT SOURCES ITS SUPPLIES FROM OVER 35 COUNTRIES AND 4,000 REGISTERED SUPPLIERS WITH THE TOTAL AVERAGE ANNUAL PURCHASE FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS AMOUNTED TO ABOUT 2,477 MILLION.

THIS WAS SPELLED OUT BY THE DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT SUPPLIES, MR LAM, WHEN ADDRESSING THE EUROPE/ASIA CONFERENCE 1991 IN VÍRNNÀ "SELLING TO THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT: THE REQUIREMENTS".

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MR LAM SAID THE GOVERNMENT SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT (GSD), AS THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S CENTRAL PURCHASING AND SUPPLIES AGENT, HAD BEEN OPERATING A TRANSPARENT AND NON-DISCRIMINATIVE SYSTEM AND SOURCED ITS SUPPLIES ALL OVER THE WORLD.

HE POINTED OUT THAT HONG KONG WAS FIRMLY COMMITTED ΤΟ OPEN MARKET AND FREE TRADE PHILOSOPHY AND PRACTICE AND WAS A MEMBER OF THE GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TARIFFS AND TRADE (GATT).

BESIDES,

IT HAD BEEN SIGNATORY TO THE AGREEMENT ON GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT SINCE THIS AGREEMENT CAME INTO EFFECT IN 1981.

MR LAM SAID GSD IS HONG KONG'S ENTITY IN THIS AGREEMENT, ADDING THAT ALL IT'S PURCHASES VALUED ABOVE SDR (SPECIAL DRAWING RIGHT) 130,000 (ABOUT $1.338 MILLION) WERE CONDUCTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH GATT REGULATIONS.

AS A GENERAL RULE, HE SAID, CONTRACTS WERE LET BY TENDER, INCLUDING OPEN PUBLIC TENDER, SELECTIVE RESTRICTED TENDER AND SINGLE TENDER.

ALL OPEN TENDERS WERE SENT TO TRADE COMMISSIONERS OR THEIR REPRESENTATIVES IN HONG KONG.

"IN DECIDING THE APPROPRIATE TENDER METHOD, WE MUST ENSURE THAT THE RELEVANT RULES ARE ADHERED TO AND THAT, AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE GET THE BEST VALUE FOR MONEY," MR LAM SAID.

THE

AND

COMPARED WITH WHAT GSD BOUGHT FROM OTHER COUNTRIES, DIRECTOR SAID THE VALUE OF PURCHASES FROM AUSTRIA, HUNGARY CZECHOSLOVAKIA WAS RELATIVELY LOW BELOW 0.689 PER CENT (FOR ALL THREE COUNTRIES) OR 0.44 PER CENT (FOR AUSTRIA ALONE) OF THE TOTAL ANNUAL PURCHASES.

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"I VERY MUCH HOPE TO SEE A HIGHER, MUCH HIGHER, FIGURE FROM ESPECIALLY THOSE PRESENT HERE TODAY, PROVIDED THE PRICES ARB COMPETITIVE AND THE QUALITY IS GOOD, HE SAID.

YOU,

"

:

MR LAM SAID THE DOOR OF THE DEPARTMENT WAS ALWAYS OPEN.

THE DEPARTMENT HANDLED THE PURCHASE OF ALL EQUIPMENT USED BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S OWN 60 SOME SUBVENTED AGENCIES PARTLY FINANCED BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT.

COMMODITIES DEPARTMENTS

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