The contractor involved in the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po is now embroiled in a tender controversy, with documents suggesting a scoring miscalculation that overlooked its past conviction records.
According to the Owners' Corporation documentation at Wang Fuk Court, a total of 57 companies submitted tenders for the renovation project.
Among the tenders, Prestige Construction & Engineering Company Limited (PC&E) reportedly received the highest score of 20 points based on the company background as well as the reasonable quotation.
Notably, PC&E was awarded 3 points for having "no prosecution record" over the past eight years, which included criteria like no prosecutions by the Labour Department, no work suspension orders, and no legal disputes with Owners' Corporations.
However, the Labour Department has recently confirmed that PC&E had four criminal convictions in the past five years, resulting in fines totaling HK$29,500 for issues such as insufficient scaffold inspections.
If these prosecution records have been taken into account during the tender process, PC&E would rank fifth out of the 57 bidders with a "Grade C" rating, indicating a contractor "carrying risk" and unsuitable as the "preferred choice."
As for quotation rationality, a total of 28 bidders achieved a Grade A-B rating, indicating their quotes were within the estimated reasonable range, including PC&E.
Although PC&E was not the lowest bidder, the assessment indicated it as the "preferred choice" for recommendation.
The report was reviewed by Wong Hap-yin and Ng Yeuk, two directors of the consultancy Will Power Architects Company Limited, who were arrested by the ICAC following the tragic fire.
The deadly No. 5 alarm fire at Wang Fuk Court has prompted investigations into potential corruption during the tender process, resulting in the arrest of 11 individuals, including three senior officials from PC&E.
In light of the accident, the Buildings Department has temporarily suspended the works on the 28 projects managed by PC&E, citing the lack of confidence in its ability to ensure site safety.
Additionally, the department has mandated that the contractor undergo an independent safety audit to evaluate its safety management systems. Project resumption will only be considered upon the submission of an improvement plan.
