Following is a question by the Hon Albert Chan Wai Yip and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao, at the Legislative Council meeting today (March 24):
Question:
In connection with the transfer of relevant technology from foreign consultancy firms engaged in the ten Airport Core Programme projects to local construction firms and professionals, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the types and details of the technology transferred
(b) of the numbers of local professionals and companies to whom the technology has been transferred
(c) whether it knows if local professionals to whom the technology has been transferred are now engaged in the relevant work; and
(d) whether it has evaluated the effects achieved in these projects in terms of technology transfer, if it has, of the evaluation criteria and outcome?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) For the Airport Core Programme (ACP) projects managed by the Government in the 90's, consultants were employed to provide services including project and construction management, design and supervision of construction works. Both local and overseas consultants were employed. In fact, the majority of these overseas consultant firms have been operating in Hong Kong for many years and have employed many local professionals and technical staff.
When local expertise and workers participate in large-scale infrastructural projects, even if the projects are carried out under the name of the overseas construction companies, their participation will gradually result in technology transfer. Actually, in recent years, more and more project partners and engineers of consultancies and project managers of construction contracts are local professionals.
For the ACP projects, it can be broadly summarised that the following knowledge and skills have been introduced into the local construction industry:-
(i) Project and construction management - The overall management of large-scale infrastructure projects called for special expertise on project management and co-ordination. New types of procurement strategies such as the Design and Build contract; programme and cost control methods; payment methods such as the milestone payment against the traditional re-measurement ones; dispute resolution techniques; and insurance arrangements such as the Owner-Controlled Insurance Programme, etc. were introduced;
(ii) Design philosophy - The design and construction of long span cable-supported bridges were unprecedented in Hong Kong before the ACP. A typical example of technology transfer is the Ting Kau Bridge which was managed by a team led by government staff. The project owed its success to the fact that these staff had participated in the ACP projects, such as the Tsing Ma Bridge and the Kap Shui Mun Bridge and had absorbed the relevant experience. Apart from the design philosophy, application of bridge health monitoring and maintenance system were also developed. Other new types of design forms may include non-standard building articulations such as the canopy at the Airport Passenger Terminal Building; heavy structural steel works as against traditional reinforced concrete construction; large diameter tunnels; and large scale reclamation methods, etc.;
(iii) Construction site supervision - Comprehensive safety management system covering all areas of safety measures and control were first introduced to Hong Kong during the ACP period. New quality assurance mechanisms were also introduced.
(b) It would not be easy to keep track on the exact number of staff benefited from the technology transferred during the whole ACP period which spanned over almost 10 years. A rough estimate shows that more than 400 professional positions in the various works departments plus the supporting technical staff had direct involvement in the ACP works and adopted ACP procedures and practices.
Government does not possess figures on the number of beneficiary in the private sectors.
(c) As all the ACP projects were just completed around 6 to 7 years ago, most of the government staff who have participated in the projects are still retained in the various works departments. The Government does not maintain records on whether the local staff of the consultant firms and contractors who participated in the ACP are still working in the construction industry.
(d) We consider that technology transfer by consultants participating in the ACP to be very effective. The successful implementation of the Ting Kau Bridge and the launching of the several major infrastructural projects afterward such as the Hong Kong- Shenzhen Western Corridor and the Stonecutters Bridge bear testimony to the effectiveness of the technology transfer.
Ends/Wednesday, March 24, 2004
NNNN