For discussion EC(96-97)38
on 6 November 1996

ITEM FOR ESTABLISHMENT SUBCOMMITTEE
OF FINANCE COMMITTEE

HEAD 62 -HOUSING DEPARTMENT
Subhead 003 Recoverable Salaries and Allowances

Members are invited to recommend to Finance Committee the creation of the following permanent post in the Housing Department -

1 Chief Building Services Engineer
(D1) ($86,650 - $91,950 )

PROBLEM

The existing establishment of the Building Services (New Works) (BS(NW)) Section of the Housing Department (the Department) is in need of additional support at the directorate level to cope with the increasing volume and complexity of work.

PROPOSAL

2. We propose toexisting BS(NW) Section into two Sections, to create one permanent post of Chief Building Services Engineer (CBSE)(D1) to head a second BS(NW) Section in the Housing Department. and to redistribut duties and responsibilities between the creation of the proposed post.

JUSTIFICATION

3. The BS(NW) Section of the Development Division, New Development Branch was set up in 1976. It is responsible for the design and the installation of a wide range of building services works/equipment for the construction of the Housing Authority’s (HA’s) new work projects. BesidesFurthermore, it provides technical advice on the provision of building services provision for Private Sector Participation Scheme (PSPS) projects for which the Department is performing a monitoring role.h Headed by a Chief Building Services Engineer (departmentally known as CBSE/Construction (C)), it is organised into nine units comprising some 370 engineering and technical staff. An existing existing organisation chart is at Enclosure 1. The CBSE/C is required to supervise the staff of the BS(NW) Section in the provision of professional services on a wide range of building services engineering work. He is also responsible for reviewing and formulating policies and programmes with a view to ensuringrelation to the timely completion of new works projects and continual improvements and enhancement of the building services provision in new housing developments.

4. Over the past few years, there has been a significant expansion in the duties and responsibilities of the BS(NW) Section in the following areas -

  1. Increased Flat Production - The Department will increasedouble it’s average flat production rate from 35, 000 flats per annum to about 61 000 and 98 00080,000 flats in 1999/2000 and 2000/2001 respectively. As there is a lead time for the construction of projects to achieve these production targets, the BS(NW) Section is already experiencing a significant increase in workload. is being felt by the BS(NW) Section. Whilest the Department will draw on the resources of building services engineering consultants where necessaryat times when the output of the BS(NW) Section has been stretched to its limit, the BS(NW) Section still haswill have to undertake a considerable proportion of these new project duties in-housewhere its resources permit. This has increased the management responsibilities required of the CBSE/C as the head of the Section. production target will increase from the present average annual production of 35,000 flats to about 61,000 and 98,000 flats in 1999/2000 and 2000/01 respectively.
  2. Management of cConsultants - In the past five years, we have greatly augmented the staff resources of the BS(NW) Section to cope with the increased workload. Nevertheless has been undertaking the majority of the new works projects of the Departmentin-house, the Department at times stillalso needs to engage consultants to handle those projects which are beyond the capacity of the Section. Within the past 18 months, the Department has entrusted to building services engineering consultants the project duties on 50 projects. We anticipate that in the remainder of 1996-97, the Department will have to commission consultants to provide services on another ten projects. This has resulted in a direct increase in the consultant management duties of the Section and the overall responsibility of the CBSE/C to ensure consistency in the quality of services providedwith the increase in the level of the consultancy services.
  3. Private Sector Participation Scheme projects - As one of the measures to increase the supply of flats under the Home Ownership Scheme (HOS), an average of some 14 000 PSPS flats will be produced annually between 1997 and 2000, representing aof 180% two-fold increase when compared with the annual production of 5 000 flats between 1987 and 1996. This has led toFollowing from this is a much greater demand on the BS(NW) Section to provide technical advice on the planning, design, construction and post-completion administration of building services installations/equipment for developments under the scheme. In addition, the BS(NW) Section has an on-going role to play in considering and implementing measures to improve and enhance building services provision for PSPS development flats to meet rising expectations. With a greater number of PSPS projects coming on-stream, we expect that the workload on the BS(NW) Section and the management input required of the CBSE/C will sustain at a high level.
  4. Complexity of Work - The engineering services provided by the BS(NW) Section for new housing projects have become increasingly complex with the enactment of new legislations such as the Gas Safety Ordinance and the Electricity oOrdinance in 1990 and the Building (Energy Efficiency) Regulations in 1995. AThis trend of complexities is further accentuated with the introduction of wider range of more sophisticated installationssystems and facilities such as the security system and the closed circuit television surveillance for rental housing and HOS has been introduced. Furthermore, as a result of the recent changes in the telecommunication policy, the BS(NW) Section has to review and where necessary revise the existing standard design to accommodate additional telephone services operators. Also, as the Department is implementing facilities to make subscription TV services available in public housing and HOS blocks, the BS(NW) Section will have to work out the technical proposition for this new facility. These new initiatives will greatly increase the complexity of the work of the BS(NW) Section and call for greater management input from the directorate level.technical standards governing the performance, testing and inspection of the building services installations as a result of the enactment of new legislations, including the Noise Control Ordinance in 1988, the Ozone Layer Protection Ordinance in 1989, the Gas Safety Ordinance and the Electricity Ordinance in 1990 and the Building (Energy Efficiency) Regulation in 1995, etc.. More sophisticated installations and facilities are provided in new estates in order to strengthen the security of the buildings. Improvements on comprising doorphone entry, closed circuit television surveillance etc. have been initiated. For example, in the recent changes in telecommunication policies, more new telephone services operators have been introduced and subscription TV have been made available to public housing estates, the complexity of access provision for these new services and co-ordination of works among these new telephone services operators have thus been increased.
  5. Construction Quality - To measure the performance of building services contractors objectively so as to determine their tendering eligibility, the Department has decided in 1991 to develop a Performance Assessment Scoring System for building services installations (BSPASS). To date, BSPASS is only partially developed due to resources constraints. The Section needs to commit resources both at the working and higher management level to complete the development of the system in the coming few years for full implementation.manpower, the BSPASS is only partially developed.
  6. New Standard Block Design - To meet the rising expectation of the public and to respond to the specialized needs of some tenants, the Department is developing new designs for the HOS blocks (Concord Blocks), harmony rental blocks, harmony annex blocks, and small household modular flats. The development of these new designs will have to be completed in 1997. By then, the BS(NW) Section will have to maintain 21 standard designs, representing an increase of 40% compared with only 15 in 1995.
  7. Research - To improve the energy efficiency and quality of environment in the public housing estates, the Department will embark ion a number of building services research projectstopics. They include the research topics, such as evaluation of the pilot projects of the automated refuse collection system and the improvement of energy efficiency of HA’s installations. The Department will commission more research topics to improve the public housing environment in the coming years and many of these are related to building services installation. These undertakings necessitate technological input from the more senior and experienced members of the staff of the BS(NW) Section and in particular the close supervision and direction of the CBSE/C.six major inter-departmental committees e.g. Building Services Specialists Contractors Standing Committee of the Works Branch; Electrical, Mechanical & Building Services Contractors Co-ordinating Committee with the EMSD.

5. All the above work requires considerable professional input and directions from an officer iatn the directorate level. Given the increase in volume and complexity of the work, the CBSE/C is already overloaded and has not been able to devote sufficient time and attention to the full range of his duties. At present, he has to directly supervise nine senior professional officers and indirectly 366 other staff in the BS(NW) Section. To cope with the increased workload, we plan to establish two additional units each headed by a senior professional in the Section. Compared with only one senior professional and 51 staff in 1976, the span of control is too extensive for one CBSE to effectively and realistically manage the Section.

6. We therefore propose to create an additional CBSE post to share the heavy workload of the CBSE/C. With the creation of the proposed post, we will reorganise the BS(NW) Section into two sections.section will consist of five or six units and will be headed by a CBSE. The The existing CBSE/C will be redesignated as CBSE/C1 to head Section 1. His Section will comprise six units and will mainly be responsible for 50% of the in-house workload on new work projects, the management of consultants’ work, and the development and implementation of the BSPASS. The proposed additional CBSE will be designated as CBSE/C2 to head Section 2. His Section will comprise five units, and will mainly be responsible for the other 50% of the in-house workload on new work projects, the provision of technical advice on PSPS projects, the preparation and management of standard designs, and ancillary research work.

7. The proposed organisation chart of the two Sections is at Enclosure 2. The job descriptions of the CBSE/C1 and CBSE/C2 are at Enclosures 3 and 4.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

8. The additional notional annual salary cost of this proposal at mid-point is $994,200. The full annual average staff cost of the proposal, including salaries and staff on-costs, is $1,722,504.other additional staffing and financial implications.

9. In addition, this proposal will necessitate the creation of one additional post of Personal Secretary II at a notional annual mid-point salary cost of $149,520 and a full annual average staff cost of $259,440.

10. We shall recover the full staff cost of this proposal from the Housing Authority.

CIVIL SERVICE BRANCH COMMENTS

11. Civil Service Branch supports the proposal to create an additional post of Chief Building Services Engineer. The ranking and grading of the proposed post are appropriate having regard to its duties and responsibilities.

ADVICE OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON DIRECTORATE SALARIES AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

12. The Standing Committee on Directorate Salaries and Conditions of Service has advised that the grading of the proposed post would be appropriate if the post were to be created.

Housing Department
October 1996

Enclosure 3 to EC(96-97)38

Job Description -- Chief Building Services Engineer/Construction 1

Rank : Chief Building Services Engineer (D1)

Duties and Responsibilities

  1. To supervise the work of four production units, Consultant Management Unit and the Central Services Unit, each of them headed by a senior professional staff.
  2. To supervise the work of the building services sub-consultants, to monitor and evaluate their performance; to provide the sub-consultants with the necessary information, instructions and support to ensure that they carry out the work in accordance with the established Housing Authority’s policies and standards.
  3. To assist Assistant Director/Development in formulating policies relating to the appropriate quality and standard of building services provisions in the new estates.
  4. To coordinate the planning, design and installation of building services works with other professional discipline heads in the Department and with other Government departments on matters relating to building services in the construction of PHDP projects.
  5. To provide central services to the two Building Services (New Works) (BS (NW)) Sections including the development and implementation of a Performance Assessment Scoring System for the Building Services sub-contracts ( BS PASS).
  6. To formulate operation procedures and to oversee the development and implementation of quality management system related to BS (NW) Sections.
  7. To undertake resource planning and manage resources for the two BS (NW) Sections.

Enclosure 4 to EC(96-97)38

Job Description -- Chief Building Services Engineer/Construction 2

Rank : Chief Building Services Engineer (D1)

Duties and Responsibilities

  1. To supervise the work of four production units and the Development and Standards Unit, each of them headed by a senior professional staff.
  2. To coordinate the planning and design of building services installations with both Development Section and Standards Section of the Department and other Government departments on matters relating to the standard designs for residential buildings and estate facilities, including external works.
  3. To assist Assistant Director/Development in formulating policies relating to the appropriate quality, standard and provisions of building services installations in the new designs.
  4. To coordinate the planning, design and installation of building services installations with other professional discipline heads in the Department and with other Government departments on matters relating to building services in the construction of PHDP projects.
  5. To conduct researches on the improvement of the energy efficiency and quality of environment in the public housing estates; representing the Department in inter-departmental committees.
  6. To ensure that the Section keeps abreast of the latest developments in the construction technology and to initiate studies into materials, products, and construction techniques.
  7. To review the standard designs to meet the growing complexity of engineering services and to ensure their compliance with the new Codes of Practice, Regulations and Ordinances.
  8. To advise the Department on schemes related to BS submitted by the private developers under the PSPS; to review the technical schedules to ensure their adequacy; to liaise with the appointed monitoring surveyors and to generally oversee the construction of the projects and their compliance with the technical schedules.

Last Updated on 12 August 1999