Tree management tendering conditions in Hong Kong up for review amid collusion concerns
Housing Authority panel to take up problem areas after Post findings show two instances of companies in close relationships being awarded
The tendering conditions for tree management contracts will undergo review by a Housing Authority committee next month after more conflicts of interest came to light.
Tendering committee chairman Cheung Tat-tong told the Post that the panel’s members would discuss potential problem areas in the existing system during its next meeting in October.
The committee of 12 members deals with tenders valued at more than HK$50 million (US$6.3 million), Cheung said, while tree-related tenders, which are usually worth several million dollars, are handled by the authority.
“But since it attracted media attention and discussions, I think it is necessary for the authority to report to the committee,” he said of the contentious issue.
In response to the Post’s earlier findings of two instances of companies in close relationships being awarded tenders for tree assessment and remedial works, Cheung believed that banning firms whose leaders held close ties to each other was neither fair nor effective.