New buildings body to recruit about 90 staff: Linn

Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn announced that the Building Maintenance Support and Services Council plans to hire around 90 new staff in the initial phase. The council will be established by the end of the year and will offer paid services for tendering and evaluation to homeowners. Linn stated that the new hires will consist of professionals, technical staff, and support and administrative personnel.

The goal is to have all these staff members in place between the beginning and the middle of next year, with recruitment starting now. The government has also proposed adopting the two-envelope approach for projects, which assesses technical aspects and price separately, but Linn believes this would not increase project costs. The minister highlighted that penalties and spot checks would be strengthened, and a potential demerit points system could be introduced in the future.

She also mentioned that over 1,000 training-related applications have been approved under the Construction Innovation and Technology Fund as of September, with the fund reaching HK$50 million in total funding by ensuring more than 400 companies and organizations benefit from construction technology training programs. Linn emphasized that her bureau will continue to promote local training and encourage the use of technology to boost overall construction productivity.