DSD is responsible for managing and maintaining over 350 water and waste water treatment plants, pumping stations, flood storage schemes, tunnels and other special facilities. In December 2012 it let a HK$160 million (£12 million), four-year NEC3 Term Service Contract (TSC) option A (priced contract with price list) for building and infrastructure maintenance and minor works.
As TSC was new to DSD and its established maintenance contractors, DSD invited all interested and eligible contractors to attend an open forum to enable them to be better prepared for tender preparation and submission.
Partnering workshops
The contract was awarded to Shun Yuen Construction Company Limited, immediately after which DSD organised a three-day workshop for both the contractor’s and DSD’s staff to allow them to learn the more technical aspects of NEC and to inject momentum into the partnering behaviour through a ‘learn-and-fun’ environment.
As soon as work started, a one-day partnering workshop was also organised to establish partnering goals and to promote a cultural change in mindset for collaborative risk management in project delivery.
Mott MacDonald Hong Kong Limited has been engaged as an NEC advisor. The firm facilitates a partnering review committee co-chaired by the contractor’s director and the DSD chief engineer to oversee the partnering development throughout the contract.
Senior-level involvement
To help develop a collaboration culture, the senior management of both DSD and the contractor attend the monthly progress meetings. It signifies the commitment of the contracting parties to this new form of collaborative working. To date the maintenance programme is working well and the trial is proving to be a success.