For discussion
on 28 May 1997
EC(97-98)8

ITEM FOR ESTABLISHMENT SUBCOMMITTEE OF FINANCE COMMITTEE

Head 25 - ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT
Subhead 001 Salaries

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

1 Chief Architect

(D1) ($86,650 - $91,950)

PROBLEM

The directorate structure of the Architectural Services Department (Arch SD) is inadequate to cope with the scale and complexity of the additional works brought about by the Whole-day Primary School Programme and the School Improvement Programme.

PROPOSAL

2.The Director of Architectural Services (D Arch S), with the support of the Secretary for Education and Manpower and the Secretary for Works, proposes to create one permanent post of Chief Architect (CA) (D1) to oversee school building and improvement works.

JUSTIFICATION

School Building Projects

3.The Government is committed to speeding up whole-day primary schooling. To fully implement this policy objective, our target is to convert 480 uni-sessional/bi-sessional schools into whole-day schools. Of these 480 schools, 133 can be converted to whole-day operation through administrative means such as packing classes to make full use of existing classrooms, reprovisioning a session to vacant school premises in the vicinity(P(D) : please make it clear whether we mean vacant premises in the same school or other vacant school premises in the vicinity) and not allocating primary-one pupils to a session. Another Among the remaining 347 schools, 20 can be converted into whole-day schools by building additional classrooms. The rest requires the , and 327 by building of 109 additional schools.

4.From now to 2001, Government has pledged to increase the percentage of whole-day primary schools from the present 24% to 48% by -:

-converting 1131 schools through the administrative means mentioned above;

-converting 20 schools by building additional classrooms in existing school premises; and

-building 10 additional new schools.

During the same period, we will also build 35 primary and 45 secondary schools to cater for normal increase in demand for school places. Taking account of these factors, Arch SD will build on average 18 new schools per year, representing an increase of about 63% over the average of 11 new schools built annually over the past five years.

5.The Secretary for Education and Manpower, in consultation with the relevant branches and departments, is actively exploring ways to speed up the construction of the remaining 99 new schools required for conversion of existing primary schools. This conversion programme, coupled with the need to build seven primary and nine secondary schools each year to meet the normal growth in demand, will result in a consistently high workload on school building long after 2001.

6.The current team in Arch SD responsible for building schools building comprises a Senior Architect and 15 professional/support staff. It reports to CA/3 in the Architectural Branch who deals with disciplined services facilities (such as police stations/border facilities, prisons/detention centres and fire stations), institutional facilities (like government office buildings), educational and minor works projects. The team also enlists support from about 26 professional and technical staff from other Branches within Arch S D. To cope with the additional workload arising from the Whole-day Primary School Programme, we will create a team of 15 non-directorate posts in 1997-98. We also see a need to provide additional directorate support to oversee implementation of the programme as detailed in paragraph 9 below.

School Improvement Programme

7.We plan to implement the School Improvement Programme (SIP) ion all public-sector schools (roughly 1 000 schools), if they are found feasible for such works, in eight phases. We started Phase I of the improvement works in July 1995 and Phase II in July 1996. The former covered 104 aided schools at a cost of $1,130 million and the latter covered 124 aided and six government schools at a cost of $2,310 million. For Phase III, we have obtained approval to upgrade 22 government schools at an estimated cost of $482 million. In addition, we are conducting feasibility studies on 72 secondary and 88 primary schools in the aided sector and expect to commence work on those schools found feasible for improvement works shortly afterwards. The estimated cost of such works is $3,365 million. Subject to the availability of resources, (P(D) : if this refers to non-recurrent capital works resources, we can safely remove this qaulifying phrase as the advancement of SIP is one of the measures agreed by CS/FS to uplift capital works expenditure.) D Arch S and the other parties concerned are also actively considering the feasibility of advancing the remaining phases of SIP to bring about early improvements. Many projects are now undergoing various stages of implementation simultaneously, e.g. construction works for Phases I and II on the one hand and design and tendering of contract documents for Phase III on the other. These require steering and supervision by Arch SD at the directorate level.

8.Currently the project team responsible for the improvement works comprises 15 non-directorate officers and will increase to 23 in 1997-98 to cope with additional workload. The existing team reports to CA/3 as an added on responsibility of the latter. In view of the substantial increase in disciplined services programmes like planning the construction of new penal institutions, it has become increasingly difficult for CA/3 to devote adequate attention to the SIP. To ensure smooth implementation of the programme, D Arch S needs additional directorate support to oversee the work.

9.While most of the detailed works are undertaken by consultants, the in-house supervision and co-ordination requires a high level of professional competence and managerial skill. The Whole-day Primary School Programme and the School Improvement Programme are large-scale and complex programmes in terms of the number of schools involved, schedules which need to tie in with school calendars and the nature of construction and refurbishment works. D Arch S considers that he needs a dedicated directorate officer at the rank of CA to oversee the implementation of the programmes. This CA has to assume an important role in liaison, monitoring and management. The main tasks include devising master plans, liaising with other departments and policy branches concerned on land and environmental issues, monitoring consultants' and contractors' performance and progress of works, and supervising multi-disciplinary project teams.

10.D Arch S has examined the feasibility of redeploying existing staff to cope with the additional workload but found it impossible to do so, as all existing directorate officers are have already been fully engaged stretched in dealing with various aspects of Arch SD's responsibilities and commitment to other major programme areas including Public Works Programme Capital Works Reserve Fund projects, and building projects for the Hospital Authority and the Regional and Urban Councils, which have also increased substantially in scope over the years. To assign the extra work to any of the existing CAs will adversely affect the level of service of the department and its commitment to developments in other programme areas. D Arch S therefore proposes to create an additional CA post, to be designated CA/5, in the Architectural Branch to oversee the implementation of the two programmes. In addition, the new CA will also take over all school building activities from CA/3 in view of the latter's heavy workload on planning and implementation of disciplined services and institutional facilities.

11.The organiszation chart of Arch SD is at Enclosure 1. The existing and revised job descriptions for CA/3 are at Enclosures 2 and3 and the job description for the proposed CA post is at Enclosure 4.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

12.The additional notional annual salary cost of this proposal at mid-point is $1,070,400. The full annual average staff cost of the proposal, including salaries and staff on-cost, is $1,997,052. In addition, D Arch S will create 23 non-directorate posts at a notional annual salary cost of $8,153,790 and a full annual average staff cost of $ 15,214,212. We have included sufficient provision in the 1997-98 Estimates to meet the cost of this proposal.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

13.All primary schools built since 1993 operate on a whole-day basis except where there is an acute shortfall in primary places. Existing primary schools are encouraged to change to whole-day operation where they have sufficient accommodation for conversion and demand of places in their districts permit. To bring about early improvement, the Secretary for Education and Manpower is actively studying the feasibility and ways of speeding up the programme in conjunction with relevant branches/departments including the Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands, the Director of Planning, the Director of Architectural Services, the Director of Housing and the Director of Education.

14.The Executive Council endorsed in 1993 the Education Commission Report No 5 which, among other issues, recommended implementation of a School Improvement Programme. The programme aims to improve the learning environment of existing schools and to provide more accommodation for staff and students. Standard improvement works include adding classrooms, staff rooms, interview rooms, libraries and student activity centres. The Governor announced the phased implementation of the programme in his 1993 and 1994 Policy Addresses. Additional resources were allocated in the context of the 1995-96, 1996-97 and 1997-98 Estimates exercises to facilitate Iimplementation of the first three phases of the School Improvement Programme is under way.

CIVIL SERVICE BRANCH COMMENTS

15.The Civil Service Branch considers the grading and ranking of the proposed post appropriate, having regard to the responsibilities and professional input required.

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

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

1.20 of a total of 133 schools will be converted by administrative means to whole-day operation in 2002-2003 when the supply and demand of primary school places allow conversion.

Works Branch
May 1997
(E5864/WIN106)

Enclosure 2 to EC(97-98)8

Existing Job Description for Chief Architect /3 Architectural Services Department

Rank : Chief Architect (D1)

Duties and Responsibilities :

Responsible to the Assistant Director (Architectural) for planning and monitoring the work of a Division, co-ordinating the work of allied professions and overseeing building projects in respect of disciplined services, institutional and educational facilities and other minor works. Main duties include -

  1. devising master plans;

  2. formulating schedules of accommodation;

  3. examining and recommending the award of tenders and administering contracts;

  4. advising on inspection and testing methods and programmes;

  5. monitoring the progress and quality of building works, including holding progress meetings with consultants, contractors, sub-contractors and suppliers, identifying and anticipating problems, and recommending solutions;

  6. ensuring that all duties of consultants and contractors are completed satisfactorily during Defect Liability Periods, issuing Maintenance Certificates and releasing retention money to contractors after Defect Liability Periods; and

  7. liaising with other departments and policy branches concerned on land and environmental issues.

Enclosure 3 to EC(97-98)8

Proposed Job Description for Chief Architect /3 Architectural Services Department

Rank : Chief Architect (D1)

Duties and Responsibilities :

Responsible to the Assistant Director (Architectural) for planning and monitoring the work of a Division, co-ordinating the work of allied professions and overseeing building projects in respect of disciplined services and institutional facilities and other minor works. Main duties include -

  1. devising master plans;

  2. formulating schedules of accommodation;

  3. examining and recommending the award of tenders and administering contracts;

  4. advising on inspection and testing methods and programmes;

  5. monitoring the progress and quality of building works, including holding progress meetings with consultants, contractors, sub-contractors and suppliers, identifying and anticipating problems, and recommending solutions;

  6. ensuring that all duties of consultants and contractors are completed satisfactorily during Defect Liability Periods, issuing Maintenance Certificates and releasing retention money to contractors after Defect Liability Periods; and

  7. liaising with other departments and policy branches concerned on land and environmental issues.

Enclosure 4 to EC(97-98)8

Proposed Job Description for Chief Architect /5 Architectural Services Department

Rank : Chief Architect (D1)

Duties and Responsibilities :

Responsible to the Assistant Director (Architectural) for planning and monitoring the work of a Division, co-ordinating the work of allied professions and overseeing school building and improvement projects (including the Whole-day Primary School Programme and the School Improvement Programme). Main duties include -

  1. devising master plans;

  2. formulating schedules of accommodation;

  3. examining and recommending the award of tenders and administering contracts;

  4. advising on inspection and testing methods and programmes;

  5. monitoring the progress and quality of building works, including holding progress meetings with consultants, contractors, sub-contractors and suppliers, identifying and anticipating problems, and recommending solutions;

  6. ensuring that all duties of consultants and contractors are completed satisfactorily during Defect Liability Periods, issuing Maintenance Certificates and releasing retention money to contractors after Defect Liability Periods; and

  7. liaising with other departments and policy branches concerned on land and environmental issues.

Last Updated on 12 August 1999