The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development says the Hong Kong government intends to make serious bid-rigging in major building-maintenance works a criminal matter, but the proposed legal change is not yet in force. The government and the Competition Commission are working towards the change.
The government plans to set a clear threshold for conduct that could attract criminal liability and strengthen investigative powers. The proposal is aimed at serious cases, rather than automatically treating every dispute over a maintenance tender as a criminal offence.
The secretary said the government would wait for the independent committee’s investigation report into the fire at 宏福苑 before carrying out the amendment work.
For owners arranging major repairs, the nearer practical change is the Development Bureau’s planned enhanced 「招標妥」 scheme. Star Headline reported that it is due to launch in the fourth quarter of 2026, with stricter prequalification arrangements for engineering consultants and contractors.
The planned scheme would tighten the arrangements for selecting consultants and contractors for the relevant lists. It is a screening measure, separate from the proposed criminal offence.
A separate proposal would create an independent professional body to arrange major repairs on behalf of property owners. The Surveyors Institute has proposed a 「樓宇維修局」 that would hire engineering consultants and contractors.
Star Headline reported that supporters see such a body as a way to address the knowledge gap individual owners can face when dealing with consultants and contractors. Other legislators were reported to have warned that its responsibilities, and the boundary between public authority and private-sector work, would need to be clarified.
The clearest near-term change is therefore the planned fourth-quarter rollout of the enhanced 「招標妥」 scheme and its stricter consultant and contractor prequalification arrangements. The threshold for criminal bid-rigging and the future of the proposed 「樓宇維修局」 remain unresolved.