DEVB invites market to submit expressions of interest for development of first Advanced Construction Industry Building
The Development Bureau (DEVB) today (May 15) invites the market to submit expressions of interest (EOI) within five weeks for the development of the Advanced Construction Industry Building (ACIB) at a site of about three hectares in Tsing Yi.
As announced in the 2023-24 Budget, the Government had earmarked $30 million for conducting a study on the construction of the first advanced construction industry building at a site of about three hectares in Tsing Yi, carrying out planning and preliminary design work as well as advising on its mode of operation.
A DEVB spokesperson said that the study for the development, conducted by a consultant commissioned by the Government, is substantially completed. The ACIB will be the first dedicated facility for the construction industry in Hong Kong, featuring a multi-storey design to house steel rebar prefabrication yards, processing sites for MiMEP, and other advanced manufacturing facilities. It aims to promote the adoption of advanced construction technologies and uplift productivity and efficiency of the construction industry. It also enables better use of land and contributes to the sustainable development of the construction industry through productivity gains achieved from synergy. This type of multi-storey building is also adopted in other advanced cities.
The spokesperson said that following the initial market sounding exercise conducted by the consultant, the Government is of the view that the project can be developed using the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) approach with a 30-year contract period to leverage market financing. Taking into account the required floor height, floor loading capacity and mode of operation of the building, and preliminary feedback from the industry, the Government expects the project to provide a two to four-storey building with a total floor area of around 30 000 to 60 000 square metres, and around 5 000 to 10 000 sq m of open space for loading/unloading and storage. The successful bidder will be responsible for constructing the building and operating the advanced manufacturing facilities related to the construction industry, including not less than 20 000 sq m of the floor area for steel rebar prefabrication yards and not less than 5 000 sq m of the floor area for MiMEP processing sites. Under the current plan, the developer is required to lease not less than 5 000 sq m of the floor area for industry use.
Baseline parameters and specific requirements for the development are set out in the brochure of the invitation for EOI. The Government welcomes the market to submit EOIs, and offer innovative and practicable suggestions for setting up additional advanced facilities related to the construction industry in the ACIB. The views and suggestions collected will facilitate the Government in formulating the details of the open tender. The tendering process, using a two-envelope approach that assesses both non-price and price proposals, is targeted to launch in the second half of 2025, allowing the successful bidder to commence the works by mid-next year.
The brochure of the invitation for EOI has been uploaded onto the website of the DEVB (www.devb.gov.hk/en/issues_in_focus/index.html). Interested parties must deposit their EOI in the designated drop-in box of the DEVB situated at 2/F Entrance, East Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong, by noon on June 19 (Thursday).
The DEVB will hold a briefing session on the EOI invitation on May 28 (Wednesday). For details of the briefing, please refer to the brochure of the invitation for EOI.
HKSAR Government strongly condemns BBC for unfounded report on Lai Chee-ying's health condition
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government yesterday (January 1) strongly condemned the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for the deliberate unfounded report on Lai Chee-ying's health condition in an attempt to fabricate facts to mislead the public by intentionally portraying Lai Chee-ying as a victim, with the aim of covering up his numerous wrongdoings and his conviction by the court.
Court's conviction verdict was entirely free from any political considerations
A spokesperson for the HKSAR Government said, "The court's reasons for verdict in Lai Chee-ying's case are 855 pages long, which are fully open for public inspection, and include the court's analysis of the relevant legal principles and evidence, as well as the reasons for convicting Lai Chee-ying and the three defendant companies in full detail. The court clearly pointed out in the reasons for verdict that Lai Chee-ying was not on trial for his political views or beliefs. The court's conviction verdict is well-founded and reasoned, fully demonstrating that the court has made its decision on the case strictly in accordance with the law and evidence, free from any interference, and absolutely free of any political considerations.
"The court clearly pointed out that Lai Chee-ying's only intent, whether pre or post Hong Kong National Security Law (HKNSL), was to seek the downfall of the Communist Party of China, even though the ultimate cost was the sacrifice of the interests of the people of the People's Republic of China and the HKSAR. Also, the court found that Lai Chee-ying was the mastermind of the conspiracies charged in all three counts, and his actions show his deliberate intent to pursue these conspiracies, which constituted a threat and harm to the national security in the PRC and the HKSAR."
The spokesperson stressed, "Hong Kong is a society underpinned by the rule of law and has always adhered to the principle that laws must be obeyed and lawbreakers be held accountable. Article 5 of the HKNSL and section 2 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance clearly stipulate that the principle of the rule of law shall be adhered to in preventing, suppressing and imposing punishment for offences endangering national security. Any suggestion that certain individuals or organisations should be immune from legal consequences for their illegal acts is no different from advocating a special privilege to break the law, and this totally runs contrary to the spirit of the rule of law."
Lai Chee-ying's health has been properly cared for
The spokesperson said, "The claims regarding Lai Chee-ying's health condition as reported by the BBC are false and extremely misleading. The HKSAR Government has pointed out time and again that the Correctional Services Department (CSD) handles the custodial arrangements for Lai Chee-ying in the same way as other persons-in-custody (PICs). The CSD attaches great importance to the safety and health of PICs. Regardless of the identities, ages and nationalities of PICs, the CSD is committed to ensuring that the custodial environment is secure, safe, humane, appropriate and healthy, which includes appropriate and timely medical support.
"The medical services received by Lai Chee-ying in custody are adequate and comprehensive. All correctional institutions have hospitals or sick bays staffed 24 hours a day by Medical Officers seconded from the Department of Health (DH) and correctional staff with professional nursing qualifications. Medical specialists from the Hospital Authority (HA) and the DH will visit correctional institutions on a regular basis to provide PICs with specialist consultation and treatment, including dental treatment. If PICs have dental health issues, the Medical Officer of the institution will refer them to dental specialists. In serious cases, PICs will be transferred immediately to a public hospital for treatment.
"During the public court hearing in August 2025, the senior counsel representing Lai Chee-ying clearly presented to the court that Lai Chee-ying had all along been receiving appropriate treatment and care in prison. The correctional institutions had been arranging daily medical checkups for Lai Chee-ying and that there had been no complaints at all regarding the medical services he was receiving, and the Court also commended the CSD. Moreover, on the day the court handed down its verdict on December 15, 2025, the senior counsel representing Lai Chee-ying stated, when responding to questions from the media, that everyone in the court could see clearly Lai Chee-ying's health condition.
"The CSD provided dental treatment for Lai Chee-ying in 2021 and 2022 based on his needs. Since then, Lai Chee-ying has had no dental health problems nor made any further requests for dental treatment. Separately, in 2025, Lai Chee-ying notified the CSD of problems with his nails, but he has since fully recovered after treatment with ointment prescribed by the Medical Officer of the institution, with no nail loss as alleged in the media reports. In August 2025, before the public hearing, the CSD arranged for Lai Chee-ying to wear a cardiac monitoring device and prescribed heart medication for his claimed heart palpitations, to be used as needed. Since then and up till the present moment, Lai Chee-ying has made no further complaints about his heart palpitations to the CSD. It must be stressed that the allegations made by Lai Chee-ying's daughter and relevant media reports, including those by the BBC, are completely baseless."
The spokesperson pointed out, "Certain individuals with ulterior motives, including Lai Chee-ying's family members and certain media, have ignored these facts and continue to spread lies and engage in despicable acts. Recently, Lai Chee-ying's daughter has repeatedly attempted to maliciously smear the HKSAR Government and the CSD, misleading the public to believing that Lai Chee-ying's detention and medical arrangements are poor. Their malicious intentions are obvious. The HKSAR Government strongly opposes and condemns such acts."
Source: AI-found images
