EC(97-98)65
For discussion
on 6 February 1998
ITEM FOR ESTABLISHMENT SUBCOMMITTEE OF
FINANCE COMMITTEE
HEAD 60 - HIGHWAYS DEPARTMENT
HEAD 186 - TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT
Subhead 001 Salaries
Members are invited to recommend to Finance Committee -
- the retention of the following supernumerary posts up to 30 September 1998 -
Transport Department
1 Government Engineer
(D2) ($110,000 - $116,800)
1 Chief Engineer
(D1) ($92,650 - $98,300)
- the retention of the following supernumerary posts up to 31 December 1998 -
Highways Department
1 Government Engineer
(D2) ($110,000 - $116,800)
1 Chief Engineer
(D1) ($92,650 - $98,300)
- the retention of the following supernumerary posts up to 31 March 1999 -
Highways Department
2 Chief Engineers
(D1) ($92,650 - $98,300)
PROBLEM
We need continued directorate support to handle outstanding works, claims, disputes, contract finalisation and transport matters pertaining to the Airport Core Programme (ACP) and the airport-related works of the Port and Airport Development Strategy (PADS) projects, in particular, the commissioning of the new airport at Chek Lap Kok. The existing supernumerary posts will lapse on 1 April and 1 October 1998 respectively.
PROPOSAL
2. We propose to retain -
- two supernumerary posts of one Government Engineer (GE) (D2) and one Chief Engineer (CE) (D1) in the Transport Department (TD) up to 30 September 1998;
- two supernumerary posts of one GE (D2) and one CE (D1) in the Highways Department (HyD) up to 31 December 1998; and
- two supernumerary posts of CE (D1) in HyD up to 31 March 1999.
JUSTIFICATION
3. Having reviewed the continued need for the 23 existing supernumerary directorate posts due to lapse on 1 April and 1 October 1998 in the light of the latest work progress, we see a need to retain six of them (one GE and one CE in TD and one GE and three CEs in HyD) beyond their respective expiry dates. Detailed justifications for retaining the six posts are set out in the following paragraphs.
Transport Department
Port and Airport Development Branch (PADB)
4. The PADB in TD deals with all transport and traffic matters arising from the planning and implementation of the PADS projects. Since the majority of the projects are transport-related, the input of this Branch is essential throughout the feasibility study, design, construction and commissioning stages of their implementation. More specifically, the Branch has to advise on the traffic engineering design of the new road infrastructure and the Airport Railway (AR) transport interchange, to oversee the provision of transport services and traffic arrangements at the AR transport interchange, and to monitor traffic management measures during construction. The Branch also advises on the preparation of the Airport Authority By-law, the airport transport operation procedures, the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (Amendment) Bill 1997, the Mass Transit Railway (Transport Interchange) Regulation and By-law, and the AR Operating Agreement. The considerable number of projects involved generates continuous heavy workload under very tight implementation schedules to effect the opening of the new airport and AR.
5. As the head and deputy head of the PADB respectively, the Government Engineer/Port and Airport Development (GE/PAD) and the Chief Engineer/Port and Airport Development (CE/PAD) have to ensure the timely provision of traffic engineering and transport-related input to facilitate the implementation of all such projects. The GE/PAD oversees the provision and operation of transport services for the new airport, supervising directly traffic engineering, public transport operation and legislative matters. The CE/PAD directs a team of traffic engineers to initiate and implement traffic engineering designs and traffic management proposals to ensure there is an appropriate transport infrastructure to serve the new airport.
6. The new airport is scheduled to open in July 1998. In view of the complicated traffic and transport issues involved at the new airport, the CE/PAD has to resolve traffic engineering problems quickly to ensure the smooth commissioning of new roads and transport facilities including the AR stations and interchanges as well as the associated new roads. Apart from guiding the CE/PAD on traffic engineering issues, the GE/PAD has to resolve issues related to the introduction of public transport services to the new airport, including contingency measures for handling serious traffic and transport problems. As there will be very substantial amount of work in all these aspects before the commissioning of these projects and during the initial period of operation, we need the continued advice and inputs of both the GE/PAD and CE/PAD beyond their original lapsing date of 1 April 1998. We therefore propose to retain the two posts for six more months till 30 September 1998.
7. An organisation chart of the TD and the job descriptions for the two posts are at Enclosures 1 2, 3.
Highways Department
Lantau Fixed Crossing Project Management Office (LFCPMO)
8. The LFCPMO is responsible for planning, design and implementation of the Lantau Fixed Crossing (LFC) project and the Ting Kau Bridge (TKB) project. The office also monitors the performance of the operator responsible for the maintenance of the Tsing Ma Control Area. We opened the Lantau Fixed Crossing to traffic in May 1997 and expect that TKB will be substantially completed in April 1998. We plan to finalise the contracts and consultancy agreements and settle all major outstanding claims and disputes for the two projects by the end of 1998.
9. In line with the progressive completion of the works, we will scale down the staffing level of the LFCPMO in phases. The staff establishment will decrease from the present level of 52 to 17 by 1 April 1998. To reflect the change in the scope of the duties of this office starting from early next year and the lapsing of posts including the Project Director/Lantau Fixed Crossing (D4), we will rename it as the Lantau Fixed Crossing Office (LFCO), to be supervised by GE/LFC, with effect from 1 April 1998 and have it subsumed under the Deputy Director of Highways (D3).
10. As the head of the LFCO, the GE/LFC will oversee all outstanding works, contract finalisation, and settlement of contract claims and disputes of the LFC project. The GE/LFC post was originally scheduled to lapse on 1 October 1998, but a recent review has indicated that we need the post for a longer period. As at 9 December 1997, we still need to deal with 281 outstanding claims totalling $1,524 million and six outstanding contractual disputes and arbitrations amounting to $660 million. Given the tight schedule and the need to protect the Government's financial interests, we require the expertise and authority of a GE to guide and manage the negotiation and arbitration processes. We propose to retain the GE/LFC post for three more months up to 31 December 1998 to settle all outstanding contractual issues and finalise all major contract and consultancy accounts. The job description for the GE/LFC post is at Enclosure 4.
11. The Chief Engineer/Kap Shui Mun (CE/KSM) is responsible for the Kap Shui Mun Bridge and Ma Wan Viaducts projects and other related contracts. Upon lapsing of the CE/Tsing Ma post on 1 April 1998, he will also take up the residual duties relating to the Tsing Ma Bridge and the related Northwest Tsing Yi Interchange contracts. He will oversee all outstanding works in these contracts, implement the remaining landscaping contract, and negotiate and mediate in contractual disputes. As CE/KSM has to handle more contractual disputes than expected, we consider it essential to retain the post for three more months beyond its original lapsing date for three months up to 31 December 1998. To reflect the change in the scope of his duties with effect from 1 April 1998, the post will be retitled as Chief Engineer/Lantau Fixed Crossing (CE/LFC) from the same date. The job description for the CE/LFC post is at Enclosure 5.
12. The Chief Engineer/Ting Kau (CE/TK) is responsible for supervising the TKB construction contract, monitoring the contractor's working methods and programmes, and reviewing expenditure and construction progress. He also manages site supervisory staff and oversees finalisation of the contract covering the one-year maintenance period. Based on the current programme, we expect to complete the project substantially in April 1998 and the one-year maintenance period will expire in April 1999. We therefore consider it essential to retain the CE/TK post for six more months beyond its original lapsing date (1 October 1998) up to 31 March 1999 to finalise the contract. The job description for the CE/TK post is at Enclosure 6.
Airport and Port Access Project Management Office (APAPMO)
13. The APAPMO is responsible for implementing the Western Harbour Crossing, the West Kowloon Expressway (WKE), the Route 3 - Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi Sections, and the North Lantau Expressway (NLE), which are all ACP projects. The office is also responsible for implementing the Country Park Section of Route 3 and the Sham Tseng Link projects. With the gradual completion of various ACP projects, we are scaling down the staffing level in the APAPMO by phases. The staff establishment has decreased from 62 at the peak construction stage in 1995-96 to the present level of 49 and will further reduce to 16 by 1 April 1998. To reflect the change in the scope of the duties of this office starting from early next year, we will rename it as the Airport and Port Access Office (APAO) and intend to subsume it under the Major Works Project Management Office to be headed by a new Project Manager/Major Works (D3) post (the proposal will form the subject of a separate submission to be considered by the Establishment Subcommittee at a later meeting).
14. The CE/NLE and another CE post in the office are due to lapse on 1 April 1998. However, we still have 616 claims totalling $420 million for the WKE project and 24 claims totalling $710 million for the NLE project, which will last until late 1998. The total number and value involved are higher than we expected when we reviewed the need to retain these two posts in March 1996. As the expertise of a CE is essential for handling claims, disputes and contract finalisation of these projects, we propose to retain the CE/NLE post for one more year up to 31 March 1999. To reflect the change in the scope of duties of the post starting from 1 April 1998, we will retitle it as Chief Engineer/Airport and Port Access (CE/APA) (D1) with effect from the same date. The job description for the CE/APA post is at Enclosure 7.
15. The Commissioner for Transport (C for T) and the Director of Highways (D of Hy) have considered the alternative of assigning the duties of the six posts to other directorate officers in the two departments, but have concluded that this is not practicable, as all existing directorate officers are fully engaged in their respective areas of responsibilities. To assign extra work to any of them will adversely affect the levels of service provided by the two departments. C for T and D of Hy therefore propose to retain the six posts for limited periods to handle the outstanding tasks related to the ACP and airport-related PADS projects.
16. The existing and proposed organisation charts of HyD are at Enclosures 8 and 9 respectively.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
17. The additional notional annual salary cost of the above proposal at mid-point is $7,298,400. The full annual average staff cost of the proposal, including salaries and staff on-cost, is $12,775,056. The proposal will require the retention of two Personal Secretary I and four Personal Secretary II posts for which the notional annual salary at mid-point is $1,239,600 and the full annual average staff cost is $1,993,272. We have included sufficient provision in the 1998-99 draft Estimates to meet the cost of this proposal.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
18. On 8 March 1996, Finance Committee approved, among 23 posts in various departments, the retention of the supernumerary posts of GE/PAD and CE/PAD in TD and CE/NLE in HyD up to 31 March 1998, and GE/LFC, CE/KSM and CE/TK in HyD up to 30 September 1998 to continue to oversee the implementation of the ACP and PADS-related projects.
CIVIL SERVICE BUREAU COMMENTS
19. Civil Service Bureau recognises the need to retain the proposed posts in order to ensure the smooth and timely resolution of all outstanding issues pertaining to the ACP and airport-related works of the PADS projects. It considers the ranking, grading and duration of the proposed posts to be appropriate, having regard to the scope and level of responsibilities and professional input required.
ADVICE OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON DIRECTORATE SALARIES AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE
20. As the posts are proposed on a supernumerary basis, their retention, if approved, will be reported to the Standing Committee on Directorate Salaries and Conditions of Service in accordance with the agreed procedure.
Works Bureau
January 1998
Enclosure 2 to EC(97-98)65
Job Description for Government Engineer/Port and Airport Development
Transport Department
Rank: Government Engineer (D2)
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Responsible to Deputy Commissioner/Planning and Technical Services (D3) for -
- supervising the Port and Airport Development Branch;
- planning and providing the necessary input for the adequate provision of public transport services and the safe and efficient use of the road network serving the new airport and its related facilities;
- liaising with the Transport Bureau and other departments on the interfacing of transport projects with other ACP and PADS-related developments;
- co-ordinating input from various regions and branches within the Transport Department during the implementation of the ACP and PADS-related projects; and
- assisting the Transport Bureau in drawing up legislation and operating terms relating to the ACP and other PADS projects.
Enclosure 3 to EC(97-98)65
Job Description for
Chief Engineer/Port and Airport Development
Transport Department
Rank: Chief Engineer (D1)
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Responsible to Government Engineer/Port and Airport Development (D2) for -
- assisting in the supervision of the Port and Airport Development Branch;
- providing professional advice and input in traffic engineering and traffic management matters relating to the implementation of the ACP and PADS-related projects;
- providing input on the traffic engineering aspects for the planning of the airport;
- providing input on the traffic engineering aspects for the planning of the new ports and access to the new ports and airport (including ferry, road and railway);
- co-ordinating input within the Transport Department during the planning and implementation of the projects in (2) above; and
- planning and monitoring traffic impact studies and supervising the work of consultants undertaking such studies.
Enclosure 4 to EC(97-98)65
Job Description for
Government Engineer/Lantau Fixed Crossing
Highways Department
Rank: Government Engineer (D2)
Major Duties and Responsibilities
Responsible to the Deputy Director of Highways (D3) for -
- managing staff engaged in the Lantau Fixed Crossing (LFC) project;
- monitoring the programme and cost on all Public Works Programme items associated with the LFC project;
- managing all LFC contracts and consultancies, and deciding on referable decisions proposed by consultants administering the LFC contracts;
- liaising with other offices within the department, the Transport Department and the Mass Transit Railway Corporation on Airport Railway interfacing matters, traffic and transport matters and interfacing issues with other highway projects;
- liaising with the New Airport Projects Co-ordination Office, Transport Bureau, other engineering offices and agencies involved in the project; providing reports and briefs to various Airport Core Programme (ACP) related committees and LegCo ad hoc groups; reporting to the Secretary for Works and Secretary for Transport on issues of concern, including progress, works procedures, standards and contractual matters and the ACP project coordination issues;
- overseeing publicity for the LFC project; keeping abreast of the development, operation and maintenance of other similar large bridge projects overseas; managing the Technical Advisory Board for the LFC to ensure adequate follow-up actions;
- seeking approval from the Finance Bureau on financial limits for negotiation and resolution of contractual disputes arising from LFC contracts, supervising and directing the resolution of LFC contracts disputes, and leading the resolution of disputes in mediation, adjudication and arbitration; and
- overseeing the maintenance of the Tsing Ma Control Area (TMCA) under the TMCA Contract; developing and implementing the Wind and Structural Health Monitoring System for Tsing Ma, Kap Shui Mun and Ting Kau Bridges.
Enclosure 5 to EC(97-98)65
Job Description for
Chief Engineer/Lantau Fixed Crossing
Highways Department
Rank: Chief Engineer (D1)
Major Duties and Responsibilities
Responsible to the Government Engineer/Lantau Fixed Crossing (GE/LFC) (D2) for -
- managing consultants/works agents in the administration of Tsing Ma Bridge, Kap Shui Mun Bridge and other LFC contracts; including reviewing of Resident Site Staff establishment, monitoring progress of works and contract finalisation, and advising GE/LFC on referable decisions proposed by consultants, managing consultancy agreements, and preparing submissions to the Engineering and Associated Consultants Selection Board;
- assisting GE/LFC in negotiation and resolution of disputes for the LFC contracts, including mediation, adjudication and arbitration;
- liaising with other works agents and policy bureaux on ACP contract and project procedural matters, and liaising with consultants and project offices on interfacing contracts and projects;
- coordinating the handing over of works areas at the end of the contracts;
- liaising with MTRC on the Entrustment and Essential Infrastructure Works in relation to the implementation of airport railway works on the LFC; and
- advising on requirements and format of project archives and life time records, and on public relations such as press releases, visits, etc.
Enclosure 6 to EC(97-98)65
Job Description for Chief Engineer/Ting Kau
Highways Department
Rank: Chief Engineer (D1)
Major Duties and Responsibilities
Responsible to the Government Engineer/Ting Kau (GE/TK)(D2) for managing the Ting Kau Bridge and Approach Viaduct Contract, including -
- monitoring expenditure on the Contract, recommending contract payments, and preparing the contract final account;
- monitoring the progress of works;
- interpreting the Conditions of Contract, recommending actions on claims and variations, and collating information for the evaluation of claims and contractual disputes;
- overseeing the duties of the site team;
- assisting GE/TK in finalising consultancy agreements; and
- taking up all residual duties of the GE/TK post upon the lapsing of that post on 1 October 1998.
Enclosure 7 to EC(97-98)65
Job Description for
Chief Engineer/Airport and Port Access
Highways Department
Rank : Chief Engineer (D1)
Major Duties and Responsibilities
Responsible to the Project Manager /Major Works (D3) for -
- monitoring contract finalisation for the West Kowloon Expressway (WKE), Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi Sections of Route 3, and North Lantau Expressway (NLE) projects; and liaising with different policy bureaux, government departments, the New Airport Projects Co-ordination Office, legal and engineering consultants and contractors in this connection;
- monitoring the implementation of the North Lantau Highway Landscape Works contract and other contracts previously managed by the Airport and Port Access Project Management Office;
- acting as the leader or chief member of Government's negotiation and arbitration teams seeking resolution of major claims and disputes, particularly on NLE and WKE contracts and acting as the Employer's Representative during arbitration hearings;
- managing consultancy agreements in respect of the above projects;
- overseeing the maintenance of the Project Information Management Systems in respect of the above projects;
- liaising with the Mass Transit Railway Corporation on the finalisation of accounts for entrustment works in respect of the above projects; and
- managing the staff and coordinating returns for the Office.
