HONG KONG Urban COUNCIL
361
planning various projects in every fiscal year with a total value of over $1 billion. I can say the Urban Council is the big boss of the ASD and the ASD will be subject to great financial pressure if the Council assigns its projects directly to private construction firms.
The Urban Council has all along been inviting tenders through the Architectural Services Department for its projects. Successful tenderers are responsible for seeking construction companies to carry out the projects, while the Architectural Services Department is responsible for monitoring the projects. However, I was disappointed in the past few years with the performance of the Architectural Services Department which simply charged us the project costs without doing the monitoring work well. Some of the Council's projects were not completed on schedule. As a result, the commissioning of the Urban Council facilities was delayed, and the Council was unable to fulfill its pledges to the public. I think the Council should reach an agreement with the Architectural Services Department in the 1997 financial year to formulate new rules so that the projects normally undertaken by the Architectural Services Department will be gradually reduced. Have our fellow Councillors noticed the Statement of Aims on the conference table? In the Statement of Aims of the Capital Works Select Committee this year, 22 projects scheduled for completion in the 1997/98 financial year have been finalized. Both the Urban Services Department and the Architectural Services Department have made pledges concerning these projects. In fact, why should the Council do so much work? The Council has to pay the Architectural Services Department a service charge equivalent to 16% of the construction cost for each project. Can we stop paying this sum? Mr. SUEN has just mentioned that was a matter concerning the Memorandum of Administrative Arrangements, I suggest the Urban Services Department formulate a penalty system just like the Government penalizing a contractor who fails to complete works on time. If the Council's construction project is delayed after a specified time, the Architectural Services Department should be penalized with a fine to be deducted from the 16% construction cost. I think this can improve efficiency and increase the Architectural Services Department's sense of responsibility.
In fact, Urban Councillors are sandwiched in between and sometimes they are in a very difficult position. District Board Members keep on asking the Council at every District Board meeting about work progress in the district. They will commend us if the projects can complete on time; otherwise, they will bombard the attending USD representatives, thus causing great embarrassment to the Council's Representative Members. If I am in a position to make a decision, I will gradually reduce the number of Council's projects to be undertaken by the Architectural Services Department from now onwards, and set up an Architectural Section in the Department to take over the role of the Architectural Services Department. The Architectural Services Department's monitoring of Urban Council projects is an issue left over by history, and I have no intention to deny this fact here. However, as Chairman
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Page 319 of 498
Page 319 of 498
Page 319 of 498
HONG KONG Urban COUNCIL
361
planning various projects in every fiscal year with a total value of over $1 billion. I can say the Urban Council is the big boss of the ASD and the ASD will be subject to great financial pressure if the Council assigns its projects directly to private construction firms.
The Urban Council has all along been inviting tenders through the Architectural Services Department for its projects. Successful tenderers are responsible for secking construction companies to carry out the projects, while the Architectural Services Department is responsible for monitoring the projects. However, I was disappointed in the past few years with the performance of the Architectural Services Department which simply charged us the project costs without doing the monitoring work well. Some of the Council's projects were not completed on schedule. As a result, the commissioning of the Urban Council facilities was delayed, and the Council was unable to fulfill its pledges to the public. I think the Council should reach an agreement with the Architectural Services Department in the 1997 financial year to formulate new rules so that the projects normally undertaken by the Architectural Services Department will be gradually reduced. Have our fellow Councillors noticed the Statement of Aims on the conference table? In the Statement of Aims of the Capital Works Select Committee this year, 22 projects scheduled for completion in the 1997/98 financial year have been finalized. Both the Urban Services Department and the Architectural Services Department have made pledges concerning these projects. In fact why should the Council do so much work? The Council has to pay the Architectural Services Department a service charge equivalent to 16% of the construction cost for each project. Can we stop paying this sum? Mr. SUEN has just mentioned that was a matter concerning the Memorandum of Administrative Arrangements, I suggest the Urban Services Department formulate a penalty system just like the Government penalizing a contractor who fails to complete works on time. If the Council's construction project is delayed after a specified time. the Architectural Services Department should be penalized with a fine to be deducted from the 16% construction cost. I think this can improve efficiency and increase the Architectural Services Department's sense of responsibility.
In fact Urban Councillors are sandwiched in between and sometimes they are in a very difficult position. District Board Members keep on asking the Council at every District Board meeting about work progress in the district. They will commend us if the projects can complete on time, otherwise they will bombard the attending USD representatives, thus causing great embarrassment to the Council's Representative Members. If I am in a position to make decision, I will gradually reduce the number of Council's projects to be undertaken by the Architectural Services Department from now onwards, and set up an Architectural Section in the Department to take over the role of the Architectural Services Department. The Architectural Services Department's monitoring of Urban Council projects is an issue left over by history, and I have no intention to deny this fact here. However, as Chairman
Page 319 of 498
Page 319 of 498
Page 319 of 498
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