Lawmakers call for revision on public work tendering guidelines

Lawmakers requested that the government should introduce penalties and assessment criteria to the tendering for public works, as several construction delays have resulted in low execution rates of the public investment plan (PIDDA).
The lowest execution rate of the 2013 budget occurred with the construction of the Macau Prison which was lower than 17 percent; whereas the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) executed less than 40 percent of its budget.
When discussing the budget situation yesterday, lawmakers at the Legislative Assembly (AL)’s second standing committee indicated that PIDDA’s current guidelines are vague and counterintuitive, especially concerning the fact that a contractor’s poor performance in previous projects won’t affect his chances in future tendering.
“If you didn’t do a good job, you shouldn’t win the future bid. But currently there’s no mechanism in the law to roll them out,” said the committee president, Chan Chak Mo.
“Many lawmakers questioned whether or not the guidelines can be modified, taking into consideration the quality of the bidder’s performance and if they have caused delays, disputes and fare increases,” he added, “the government said it will consider [the revision].”
The Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Lau Si Io, also acknowledged that there is no legislative material stipulating that a contractor’s previous performance is a key assessment factor in public work tendering. He responded by saying that the government has started studying the enactment that will regulate the accreditation system of contractors.
Related government officials, including the Secretary for Economy and Finance Francis Tam, also attended the meeting. They explained that the low budget execution of Macau Prison’s was due to construction problems and the contractor’s inadequate supervision.
Besides the new prison project, delays have occurred in the construction of the Light Rail Transit (LRT), the Mong-Ha social housing project, Fai Chi Kei public housing project, the Taipa Ferry Terminal, and the new urban reclamation.
The government revealed that some of the problems that caused the delays have now been resolved, such as requests to conduct safety assessments for neighboring buildings, and changes in construction foundation by contractors.