DEVB Opens Application for Pre-Qualified Lists of Building Maintenance Consultants and Contractors Starting Tomorrow

Development Bureau invites industry to submit applications for inclusion in "pre-qualified lists" of building maintenance consultants and contractors

The Development Bureau (DEVB) announced today (September 29) that the application for the three "pre-qualified lists" of consultants and contractors under the new support service for building maintenance works will be open starting from tomorrow (September 30) for four weeks until October 27.

The Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, said, "The DEVB, together with the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) and relevant departments and agencies, will process the applications at full steam. Our goal is to have the 'pre-qualified lists' available progressively by the end of this year and to begin tendering projects for property owners in the first quarter of next year. In future, only consultants and contractors that are on the 'pre-qualified lists' will be eligible to submit tenders for projects under the new support service. I appeal to dedicated and capable consultants and contractors in the industry to apply as soon as possible. Together with other enhanced services in future, such as tender invitation and evaluation services for property owners, we aim to establish a professional and clean maintenance team to work with the Government to provide property owners with high-quality and reliable services, as well as to foster healthy development of the industry."

The DEVB announced and briefed the Legislative Council’s Panel on Development on September 22 regarding the compilation of the three "pre-qualified lists", which cover Inspection Consultants; Supervision Consultants that will draft tender documents and supervise building maintenance works; and Building Works Contractors responsible for construction, as well as introduced the four areas of pre-qualification criteria (technical competence, integrity, financial capacity, and past performance), the biennial review mechanism and the arrangements for removal and suspension of the pre-qualification status. Details are set out in the Annex. These arrangements have taken into account the views of various stakeholders, including the industry, striving to be both rigorous and pragmatic.

The URA will at the current stage assist the DEVB in processing the applications for inclusion in the "pre-qualified lists", including co-ordinating with relevant departments and professional bodies to assist in verifying the submitted information. For the application details for the "pre-qualified lists", please visit the dedicated website at pq.ura.org.hk/en. Interested consultants and contractors may submit applications via the online platform on the website starting from tomorrow. For enquiries, please send an email to pqenquiry@ura.org.hk or call 25882929 during office hours (Monday to Friday from 9am to 5.30pm).

In response to industry feedback, the application period has been slightly extended beyond the original plan until October 27 to allow the industry to have more time to submit applications. The DEVB, together with the URA, will soon meet again with the professional institutes and trade associations to introduce the criteria for the "pre-qualified lists" and arrangements for completing the application forms.

Source: AI-found images

Hong Kong Customs detects money laundering case involving about $3.6 million following infringement investigation

Hong Kong Customs today (September 29) detected a suspected money laundering case involving about $3.6 million in criminal proceeds, subsequent to a follow-up investigation of an infringement case identified earlier this year. One local man suspected to be connected with the case was arrested.

In May this year, Customs detected an online shop offering counterfeit perfumes and skincare products for sale and arrested a 37-year-old local man. A subsequent financial investigation and fund-flow analysis revealed that the arrested person operated an infringing business and utilised bank accounts of another person to receive about $3.6 million in suspected criminal proceeds between February 2024 and May 2026.

Customs today arrested the local man for "dealing with property known or reasonably believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence" (commonly known as money laundering) under the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance (OSCO) and searched his residential premises. During the operation, a batch of items suspected to be connected with the case was seized.

The arrested person has been released on bail pending further investigation. An investigation is ongoing, and the likelihood of further arrests is not ruled out.

Under OSCO, a person commits an offence if he or she deals with any property knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that such property, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly represents any person's proceeds of an indictable offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and imprisonment for 14 years, while the crime proceeds are also subject to confiscation.

Members of the public may report any suspected money laundering activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Source: AI-found images