Objectives

Through a rigorous assessment process, consultancy firms and contractors that satisfy the requirements on technical competency, integrity, financial capacity, and past performance will be selected for inclusion in the Pre-qualified Lists, which specify the requirements for professionals of a company responsible for discharging the duties under the Buildings Ordinance with the aim of preventing practices such as “nominal employment” or situation where a company only subcontracts and does not perform the work itself. Emphasis is placed on integrity, including the requirement to pass background checks conducted by law enforcement agencies, and on enhancing quality, including establishing a system to periodically review the project performance of consultants and contractors, which will serve as one of the factors when considering whether they can remain on the Pre-qualified Lists in future. Only consultants and contractors that are on the Pre-qualified Lists will be eligible to submit tenders for projects under the new support services in future.

Encourage companies that possess professional competence and integrity in the industry to join the maintenance market in order to establish a professional and clean maintenance team that can provide property owners with high-quality and reliable services, as well as foster healthy development of the industry.

The pre-qualification criteria only represent the minimum threshold for inclusion on the Pre-qualified Lists. Additional requirements for consultants or contractors in areas such as technical competence and financial capacity for a specific tender project will be separately set out in future tender documents, having regard to the scale and complexity of that building maintenance project.

The Pre-qualified Lists are subject to a comprehensive review every two years. Consultants and contractors must re-submit their application details for verification by the Authority to ensure their continued eligibility for inclusion on the Pre-qualified Lists. Conviction for an integrity-related offence within the two-year period will result in immediate removal from the list, while the Authority can decide to suspend the pre-qualification status in case of poor project performance or involvement in major safety incidents.