XN000022-1992-12-02 — Page 18

16

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1992

DETERMINATION OF CONSULTANCY FEES EXPLAINED

THE LEVEL OF CONSULTANCY FEE FOR THE NEW AIRPORT PROJECTS IS

· DETERMINED BY COMPETITIVE BIDDING ONCE THE GOVERNMENT IS SATISFIED WITH THE TECHNICAL COMPETENCE OF THE CONSULTANTS THAT HAVE BEEN SHORTLISTED.

IN

THIS WAS STATED BY THE SECRETARY FOR WORKS, MR JAMES BLAKE, A WRITTEN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE HON TAM YIU-CHUNG, IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

MR BLAKE SAID THE GOVERNMENT INTRODUCED A NEW SYSTEM IN JUNE LAST YEAR TO PROVIDE AN ELEMENT OF FEE COMPETITION IN THE SELECTION PROCESS WHICH WAS AIMED AT BASING THE REMUNERATION OF CONSULTANTS ON A FIXED LUMP SUM FEE AND INDEPENDENT OF THE COST OF THE WORKS.

SINCE THEN, SHORTLISTED ENGINEERING AND ASSOCIATED CONSULTANTS WERE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT SEPARATE TECHNICAL PROPOSALS AND FEE PROPOSALS IN BIDDING FOR ANY PARTICULAR CONSULTANCY PROJECT.

"THESE PROPOSALS ARE OPENED BY THE PROJECT DEPARTMENT, AND AN ASSESSMENT OF THE TECHNICAL COMPETENCE OF THE CONSULTANTS IS MADE ACCORDING TO A MARKING SYSTEM PREVIOUSLY APPROVED BY THE ENGINEERING AND ASSOCIATED CONSULTANTS SELECTION BOARD (EACSB) AND MADE KNOWN TO THE CONSULTANTS SHORTLISTED.

"AN OVERALL ASSESSMENT OF THE CONSULTANTS' COMBINED TECHNICAL AND FEE PROPOSALS IS THEN MADE, BASED ON PRE-DETERMINED WEIGHTING TECHNICAL COMPETENCE AGAINST FEE PROPOSALS, HE SAID.

OF

MR BLAKE SAID THERE HAD BEEN NO EVIDENCE то DATE THAT THE CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING THE FEES WERE ABUSED AS THESE CONSULTANCY PROJECTS WERE APPROVED BY THE EACSB, THE PROVISIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY OR THE MTRC BOARD WHOSE COMPOSITION HELPED ΤΟ ENSURE THAT FAIR AND REASONABLE ASSESSMENTS WERE ALWAYS CARRIED OUT.

NO PLANS TO EXTEND JOINT FUNDING SCHEME

AN

ANNUAL AVERAGE OF 5,200 HONG KONG STUDENTS WERE ON FIRST- DEGREE AND SUB-DEGREE COURSES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM FROM THE YEARS 1983/84 TO 1991/92.

DURING THE SAME NINE-YEAR PERIOD, THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS RECEIVED FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IN TERMS OF GRANTS OR LOANS FROM THE UK/HK GOVERNMENT JOINT FUNDING SCHEME (JFS) AVERAGED 1,490 A YEAR.

THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF GRANTS AND LOANS PROVIDED ΤΟ HONG KONG STUDENTS IN THE SAME PERIOD WAS $409.83 MILLION AND $80.63 MILLION RESPECTIVELY.

/THESE STATISTICS