TNAG-1486-FCO40-2040-Public-finance-in-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 21

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Paragraphs 7.129 and 7.132 - the lack of adequate and effective co-ordination between the Water Supplies Department and the road authority in

in the planning of the mainlaying contract. The Director of Water Supplies has advised that there has always been effective coordination between the Water Supplies Department and the road authority for mainlaying works in both

both the planning and construction stages. He is of the view that the problem that occurred in this case was due to the need to transfer responsibility for mainlaying works to a consultant at an advanced stage of the project and the apparent failure of the consultant to properly interpret

to properly interpret the intentions of the Water Supplies

Supplies Department with

with regard to the levels to which the watermain should be laid with regard to future roadworks.

Paragraph 7.130 errors in the Water Supplies Department procedures. The Director of Water Supplies believes that the unfortunate incident in this case was not SO much the

the result of any errors in the Water Supplies Department procedures, but the inadequacy of the documentation in the particular circumstances when the responsibility for supervision of the works was transferred to the consultant.

Paragraph 7.133 determination of basic design parameters. The Director of Water

Water Supplies has advised that it is already a matter of course for all basic design parameters to be determined before a mainlaying contract proceeds to the tender and construction stages. Nevertheless, the Water Supplies Department contract procedure is being expanded to cover the Committee's recommendation that in case it is not possible to determine all basic design parameters before a mainlaying contract proceeds to tender and construction, this should be made explicitly clear in the contract documentation.

Paragraph 7.134

B

review of the departmental procedures for managing the works of consultants. The recommendation of the Committee to review the Water Supplies Department procedures for managing the work of consultants has been accepted and the departmental procedures for management of consultants have been incorporated in a single comprehensive document in the form of a Provisional Standing Order for "Guidance on the Management of Consultants which has been modelled along the lines of the Civil Engineering Manual (Sections 2.13.1 to 2.13.4, Chapter 2). This Provisional Standing Order will be promulgated shortly for use by the Water Supplies Department Consultants' Management Division.

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