Stakeholder Engagement Activities
Joining Hands with Working Partners
DSD places great emphasis on communication with our working partners. We endeavour to promote occupational safety and health (OSH) through various channels and at the same time adopt new engineering contracts to implement drainage projects with our partners under a brand new model of collaboration.
Promoting Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)
Aiming to promote OSH, we rolled out a number of site safety improvement measures and activities, including experience sharing sessions, site visits and Construction Sites Housekeeping Award Scheme for our project partners to exchange knowledge and experience.
Experience Sharing Sessions and Site Visits
In the third quarter of the reporting year, we organised three experience sharing sessions on site safety. Colleagues from different divisions, consultants and contractors were invited to share their experience and knowledge. We also hosted four site visits, including three sessions for staff to the construction site of MTR Sha Tin to Central Link － South Ventilation Building to Admiralty Tunnels (Contract No. 1128), and another session for industry members to the construction site of HATS Stage 2A construction site at Stonecutters Island Sewage Treatment Works.
Construction Sites Housekeeping Award Scheme 2017
While striving to improve safety awareness amongst DSD colleagues, project consultants and contractors, we highly value good housekeeping at construction sites. We have been organising the Construction Sites Housekeeping Award Scheme every year since 2004 to encourage our colleagues, project consultants and contractors to make concerted efforts to improve site tidiness and cleanliness of our construction sites.
This year’s scheme attracted 37 participating teams, 12 of which received the “Best Construction Sites Housekeeping Award” or the “Meritorious Award” . Performance of all participants in housekeeping, environmental protection, staff caring and relationship with neighbourhood was stellar. DSD’s senior management gave a speech at the award presentation ceremony, remarking that the construction site accident rate, work efficiency, sense of belonging among staff and public image hinged on sound site management and the overall cleanliness and tidiness of the site environment. Participating teams were commended for their due consideration during construction to minimise impacts on the public leading to a win-win outcome.
Launch of New Engineering Contract
Compared with the conventional engineering contract, the new engineering contract (NEC) encourages close cooperation, joint management and risk sharing among all working parties. This approach allows the project offices to establish rapport with contractors, hence avoiding disputes, reducing the risks arising from project delay and improving productivity.
In the past nine years, we have awarded 44 NECs covering civil engineering projects, electrical and mechanical engineering projects, maintenance works and project consultancy services, etc. With a view to promoting NEC to the construction industry, we awarded 13 NECs last year, which accounted for about 30% of the total number of the Department’s NECs. Meanwhile, we have already completed 12 NECs, among which the HVUSSS achieved a very encouraging result of 14-month early completion with an estimated saving of around $110 million in project cost.
As a major NEC user, DSD actively organised and joined symposiums, workshops and training courses last year to promote to various stakeholders in the construction industry how NEC could improve cost effectiveness and reduce risks. On 29 September 2017, Mr. KAN Hon-shing, then Chief Engineer, shared the experience of piloting an innovative contract clause in the HVUSSS during the NEC Asia-Pacific Users’ Group Annual Conference. Meanwhile, Mr. MAK Ka-wai, Deputy Director of Drainage Services, attended the NEC Workshop co-organised by the Hong Kong Institute of Engineers (HKIE) and Hong Kong Construction Association on 18 November 2017, sharing DSD’s experience and vision in using NECs with young engineers.
Partnering Workshop
Under the NEC contract form, the project team of “Construction of dry weather flow interceptor at Cherry Street box culvert” in Tai Kok Tsui (For details see Chapter Six ― Our Core Responsibilities ― Overview of Sewage Treatment and Sewerage System) hosted a Partnering Workshop on 30 January 2018. The Workshop aimed at strengthening mutual trust and cooperation and setting common goals among DSD, project consultants and contractors. Management and frontline staff of DSD, project consultants and contractors participated in the workshop. Through group activities, participants learnt that for a project to be completed successfully, strengths of each partner have to be used wisely, project team members should be innovative and decisions shall be made after balancing the views of all parties. Participants also exchanged views and discussed the challenges encountered during the construction works, and acknowledged the importance of teamwork.
On 30 January 2018, group photo of Partnering Workshop participants
Participants setting common goals at the Workshop
After group discussions, participants set a series of mutual objectives, including advancing project completion by 12 months, reducing project cost by 0.5%, achieving zero accident and zero environmental summon, as well as winning at least one award and five commendation letters every year. A partnering charter was signed accordingly. By dint of the partnering approach of NEC and its underlying spirit of advocating mutual support and understanding, overcoming challenges, striving for cost savings and innovating for success, we are confident that by joining forces with our partners we can overcome all challenges. We will make our best endeavour to improve the water quality and environment of the Tai Kok Tsui area within budget and to achieve early project completion.
Partnering Charter signed by participants at the Workshop
Project logo designed by participants at the Workshop
