Housing Bureau and Development Bureau accept Independent Investigation Report submitted by Architectural Services Department regarding construction malpractices at three Light Public Housing sites and impose punitive measures on Contractor, Structural Engineer, and Project Management Consultant involved
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In light of the investigation results, the DEVB served notices today, in accordance with the regulatory mechanisms, to the companies involved about the following punitive measures to be imposed on them:
(1) The Contractor, i.e. Able Engineering Company Limited (Able), which is responsible for the construction and associated quality assurance: suspension of its eligibility to tender under all relevant categories of the List of Approved Contractors for Public Works and the List of Approved Suppliers of Materials and Specialist Contractors for Public Works for one year. As for Chun Wo Construction and Engineering Company Limited that formed the joint venture with Able, since its major involvement in the projects is to provide strategic advice on construction planning and has neither been involved in the site works nor supervision, it is not subject to the punitive measures;
(2) The Structural Engineer employed by the Contractor, i.e. C M Wong & Associates Limited, which is responsible for providing and managing the resident structural engineer involved: suspension of its eligibility to tender under all relevant categories of the List of Consultants of the Architectural and Associated Consultants Selection Board (AACSB) for one year; and
(3) The PMC employed by the ArchSD, i.e. Wong Tung & Partners Limited, which is responsible for providing project management and managing the resident site supervisors involved: suspension of its eligibility to tender under all relevant categories of the List of Consultants of AACSB for six months. The six-month suspension period was set with due consideration that not all of the project sites under its management were discovered with deficiencies in supervision.
Since the commencement of LPH construction, the ArchSD has always enforced strict quality supervision and proactive inspections, together with reviews on the performance of contractors. The prompt uncovering of malpractices at the three LPH sites during the ArchSD's proactive inspections was a direct reflection of the effectiveness of the supervision mechanism.
The HB has tasked the ArchSD to continue its stern supervision of the Contractor to take forward the remedial works and the remaining construction works and to closely monitor construction quality and progress. Under the premise of adhering to the original completion dates, every effort shall be made to ensure that all projects comply with the relevant safety requirements. As directed by the ArchSD, the Contractor has implemented a host of remedial measures at full speed since early November last year, including shifting and reinstalling the modules involved, and will bear all costs related to the remedial measures.
Moreover, on the works contract level, the ArchSD requested that the Contractor implement a series of remedial measures and bear all the related costs of the remedial works. In addition, should the remedial measures result in any delay in the contract completion dates, the Contractor will be liable for liquidated damages. Moreover, the ArchSD has required the Contractor to replace all site supervision personnel, including site agents, works supervisors, and resident structural engineers. The ArchSD has also concurrently required the PMC to replace all its resident site supervisors. Meanwhile, the ArchSD has immediately strengthened its supervision by deploying full-time government site supervision staff to monitor the sites and has arranged for its structural engineers to conduct additional on-site spot checks and audits to ensure strict quality control for the projects.
Based on preliminary evidence, Able is suspected of serious negligence or misconduct in the construction works. The ArchSD will inform the Building Authority to refer the case to the Registered Contractors' Disciplinary Board under Section 13 of the Buildings Ordinance. As provided in the Ordinance, if, upon hearing, negligence or misconduct in construction works were found to have been committed, the Board may order the removal of Able or its directors, senior personnel, or individuals from the relevant lists, impose fines, or issue a reprimand on Able or its directors, senior personnel, or individuals.
As the investigation revealed that the incident may involve criminal acts of providing false statements, the ArchSD has already reported the case to the Police.
The Government will continue to follow up on the case in a serious manner and step up its site supervision efforts to ensure the overall construction quality, safety and progress are not affected, as well as to ensure each LPH project is completed with high quality and high safety standards, thereby providing decent homes for residents in need as soon as possible.
Ends/Friday, January 16, 2026
Issued at HKT 15:30
Issued at HKT 15:30
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