Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn has welcomed collaboration among developers and industry operators in a recent tender for a major land parcel in the Northern Metropolis, calling it an example of the government's matchmaking hopes.

Her remarks came after the government received two consortium bids by the time the tender for the Hung Shui Kiu pilot area closed at noon on Friday.

The 11-hectare site is the first of three pilot areas in the Northern Metropolis to undergo a tender.

It includes three residential plots alongside three industrial and technology sites.

“I am pleased to see the submission of the two tenders,” Linn said on a radio programme on Saturday.

"In the past, for example, when a residential or commercial plot was put up for tender, it could well be a single developer bidding.

“But since this pilot area includes plots for both residential and industrial development, we can see that the tenders received are not solely from developers.

"We are seeing many enterprises forming consortium bids, and these enterprises are from different sectors. They are not just developers but also firms that have experience in the industry.”

Linn said the tender has achieved what the government has always wanted: to be a “matchmaker” in linking up developers with industry operators.

The Development Bureau has set up an assessment panel to evaluate the bids following standard tendering procedures.

Evaluation will be conducted using the two-envelope approach, with the pricing proposal accounting for just 30 percent of the score.

Non-financial factors – including a bidder’s ability to develop strategic industries, attract leading enterprises, ensure rapid development and deliver substantial investment and job creation – will make up the remaining score.

Officials said they hope to award the contract by the end of August.




Edited by Robert Kemp