Surveyors Institute Says Government's Proactive Support for Building Maintenance and Legislation Is Seen by Industry as Business Opportunity

The government will set up a Building Maintenance Support and Services Bureau by the end of this year and, under the original plan, progressively prepare 3 "pre-approved lists" by the end of the year, with applications 2 to 3 times higher than the old list that has been taken down. The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors' Tse Chi-kin said the government's proactive support and legislation have restored industry confidence, that the industry sees this as a business opportunity, and that he agrees a "two-envelope system" can be introduced for tender evaluation according to project scale. The Hong Kong Federation of Building Subcontractors' Ng San-wah believes the reform will attract normal contractors to participate and expects overall costs to fall.