TNAG-1642-FCO40-2289-Public-finance-in-Hong-Kong-Supplementary-Appropriation-(198-1987 — Page 334

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

Date:

Time:

18.12.86.

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9.50

Reporter:

PMO

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specifications in the first place.

CHAIRMAN: Okay. Then, may I draw your attention to

4 your reply on page 4, item 10, paragraph 2. "There were alternative

methods of specification proposed by the contractor." Now, obviously at that time the contractor realised the problems with regard to the construction and it might be highly likely there would be water leaks and the statement was made that it would be enormously expensive if the contractor requested a change in the specification. Therefore, it has not been done. This is your own report on page 4, item 10, paragraph 2 of your submission.

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MR BURDETT:

Can I deal with that ?

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CHAIRMAN:

Please ! That's my question.

MR BURDETT : Well, the answer, Sir, is simply that that sentence is put in there to illustrate how totally unrealistic the alternative being proposed by the contractors was at that stage. We not only say that it would have been very expensive but if you read on, Sir, you will see that in fact the whole building would have had to have been re-designed but this must be seen against the background which I have already given, namely that if the waterproof concreting had been correctly done there would have been no need for a re-design and no need for tanking. That's the whole point. The contractors in our submission were offering an expensive

alternative which would I am not suggesting this was their reason, but would certainly have given them an opportunity to make very much more money than they were making already on the job and would have shifted responsibility for the waterproofing workmanship on to the consultants, because the change of specification would have amounted to an admission by the consultants that the original specifications were in some way wrong, but this is not the case. The specifications were right, such specifications have been followed in buildings all over Hong Kong. The problem was that if you have a specification 36 which requires waterproof concreting the concreting has to be done

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Splendor

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