Secretary for Security Chris Tang said on Tuesday the government has decided to skip the tendering process in procuring a next-generation communications system for the police force after taking into consideration national security risks.

The force began parallel tendering to select a service provider to upgrade its communication system with 5G capabilities two years ago.

However, the open tender process has since been abandoned, with the force citing geopolitical risks affecting supply chains and concerns over information security.

According to papers submitted to Legco, authorities said they opted to directly approach a "reliable" service provider of their choice.

In a Legco security panel meeting, Tang said the decision on next-generation communications does not mean that all police procurements will skip the tendering process.

“We believe national security considerations are necessary but they do not mean every procurement exercise has to place them as our top priority,” he said.

“For example, we would also have to procure stationery and other products. So as long as they don't have any national security implications, we believe we should still adopt the conventional method of putting procurements up for tender.”

The project’s estimated cost has also been substantially reduced to HK$2 billion, a more than 60 percent decrease compared to the original estimate of HK$5.2 billion.

Tang assured lawmakers that this would not affect the system's functionality.

“We have already enhanced the design," he said.

"For example, initially we were supposed to have two sets of hardware, and now we can have one with built-in firewalls.

"All these have been adopted without affecting our operational efficiency. Therefore it's now cheaper and still equally efficient.”

The proposed system also adopts a hybrid model, whereby the government will build and operate the core network and base stations, which will be complemented by commercial services for broader coverage and cost-effectiveness.

Tang said the police will have priority in using the 5G network in congested areas, such as during fireworks shows.

Annual expenditure for the proposed system will be about HK$40 million higher than current costs, but Tang stressed the higher expenditure incurred in upgrading the system is necessary to enhance efficiency.

Lawmakers agreed to allow the proposal to proceed to the finance committee stage this month.