Hong Kong’s URA will boost scrutiny of company heads in enhanced tender platform

Hong Kong will launch an enhanced government-backed tendering platform for private building maintenance projects in the second half of the year to curb bid-rigging while tightening scrutiny of contractors, consultants and their leaders.Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho told the media that authorities aimed to launch the upgraded “Smart Tender” platform in the second half of the year.She added that under the new system, the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) would conduct strict scrutiny of contractors, consultants and their directors.“We will not only look at the companies but also their leaders,” she said. “This is because some residents are worried that when one company is sanctioned, the same group of people will then establish another firm to circumvent regulations.”The government’s move to expand the URA’s role in private building maintenance projects and crack down on bid-rigging follows last November’s deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, which killed 168 people and displaced almost 5,000 residents.The fire broke out when the estate was undergoing extensive renovation across eight blocks. The use of substandard, non-fire-retardant scaffold nets and flammable foam boards to seal windows were suspected of contributing to the rapid spread of the blaze.