My Take | Government left high and dry after suspending go-to consultant
Engineering giant Arup has its fingers in many public project pies, but for three months it is being shut out over Wang Chau controversy
The Wang Chau development scandal is a gift that keeps on giving – if you are a journalist. For the government, though, it’s one embarrassment after another.
The latest news sees the government slapping a penalty on engineering consultant Arup for leaking confidential data to a private developer and client.
What we know so far: Arup worked on the controversial public housing project in Wang Chau for the government. It was also hired by New World Development to work on a private development project adjacent to the Wang Chau site. Somehow, confidential information on the government’s projected population and employment figures ended up with New World, which used the data in its application to the Town Planning Board to rezone a green-belt site for its own development.
How did that happen? Arup blames it on the negligence of staff. The government appears to accept its explanation, by criticising it for failing to maintain a proper “firewall” on files between clients.
Arup is now barred from bidding for government contracts for three months. That must hurt – for the government. As Ivan Ho Man-yiu of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects said, commenting on Arup, the government favours just a handful of big multinational consultants over local small- to medium-sized companies. Where are our bureaucrats going to find consultants to hire in the next three months?
