Hong Kong authorities have announced new measures to tighten the screening of building maintenance consultants and contractors involved in renovation projects, barring those with recent integrity-related offences from participating in government-supported building maintenance schemes.

Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho outlined the plan during a Legislative Council development panel meeting, stating that pre-qualified lists for inspection consultants, supervision consultants, and building works contractors will be established by the end of the year. Applications for inclusion will open on September 28 and close on October 23. These lists will be reviewed biennially to maintain stringent standards.

Under the new system, companies and individuals currently facing prosecution for, or convicted of, integrity-related offences within the past three years will be excluded. Offences covered include bribery, corruption, anti-competitive behaviour, and crimes involving false instruments or forgery. Verification will involve background checks conducted by the police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), described by Linn as a “safety net” to prevent firms under investigation or with pending legal issues from slipping through due to lengthy judicial processes.

The move follows concerns raised after a deadly fire broke out during renovation work at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po last November, claiming 168 lives and displacing around 5,000 residents. Investigations and media reports suggested that existing pre-qualified lists failed to adequately screen out companies with criminal records.

Eligibility for the new lists requires that professionals and firms have completed at least three building inspection or repair projects under the mandatory building inspection scheme in the past five years or comparable work. Additionally, applicants must have maintained clean records over the past year, without professional registration revocation or convictions relating to site safety, employment, building, or fire safety offences.

The newly introduced lists will replace the current ones, which have been criticized for insufficient scrutiny. The framework also includes mechanisms to suspend or remove individuals and companies if they are prosecuted for integrity offences, involved in significant site safety incidents, or found to have submitted false information during application or bidding processes. Conviction of an integrity offence will result in immediate delisting, as will revocation of professional or contractor registrations.

The reforms form part of broader efforts outlined in the recent policy address to enhance support for private building owners undertaking maintenance and renovation work, aiming to raise standards of safety and integrity across the industry.