Education fund requires Hong Kong schools to add termination clauses in contracts to guard against breach of national security law
- New clauses in procurement documents must allow disqualification of tenderers or termination of contracts owing to national security risks
- Anti-drug fund reaches 223 schools and allocates each an average of about HK$450,000 per year
An anti-drug education fund in Hong Kong has for the first time required participating schools and organisations to incorporate clauses into their procurement documents that allow the disqualification of tenderers or termination of contracts owing to national security risks.
According to the latest document released by the narcotics division under the Security Bureau, institutions applying for the “Healthy School Programme” this year have been warned not to engage in any act or activity that endangers national security throughout the procurement process while using the grant or projects may be terminated.
They must ensure their procurement documents incorporate clauses allowing the disqualification of tenderers and termination of contracts in the interest of national security.
“The duty for schools and organisations to safeguard national security is a continuing one that subsists throughout every stage of the entire procurement process,” the document reads.
“Schools and organisations and their management should exercise professional judgment, sensitivity and prudence in assessing any potential national security risks or issues that may be involved in every stage of the procurement,” it adds.
The programme, first launched during the 2011-12 school year and funded by the Beat Drugs Fund Association, is designed to enhance the well-being of students and educate them to refuse narcotics through activities and voluntary testing.