www.neccontract.com Asia-Pacific Users’ Group update


IVAN CHEUNG ASIA-PACIFIC USERS’ GROUP SECRETARY Inaugural Asia-Pacific conference


Over 180 delegates attended the highly successful inaugural NEC Asia-Pacific Users’ Group conference in Hong Kong on 21 November 2012. The event was opened by Wai Chi-Sing,


permanent secretary at the Hong Kong Development Bureau works branch, who explained how the government was considering adopting NEC to encourage partnering and collaborative working across the Hong Kong construction industry. A series of employers’ perspectives followed


on high-profile NEC projects, including London 2012 venues and infrastructure, the HK$96 million (£7.7 milion) Fuk Man Road Nullah project – the first government NEC pilot in Hong Kong – and various CLP power station projects.


Lectures and workshops Experienced practitioners gave their insights


on the contract management aspect of NEC at the conference through a series of lectures and workshop sessions, and the event concluded with a very useful panel discussion. ‘The conference provided invaluable insights


into the perspectives of parties with differing backgrounds looking to explore the readiness for NEC to be adopted across projects in the Asia- Pacific region,’ said NEC general manager Rekha Thawrani. I would like to record my personal thanks to


the speakers Wai Chi-Sing, Howard Shiplee, Peter Clayton, Mark Lomas, Chris Cheung, Mike Allen and Tsui Wai, and to my fellow panel members


Richard Patterson, Thomas Ho, Ada Fung and Vincent Connor. They all helped to ensure the event’s success.


Further government pilots During the conference it was disclosed that


the Hong Kong government has planned several further NEC pilot projects. These include a variety of maintenance projects, civil engineering schemes and building works and aim to test the suitability of NEC under different circumstances. Pre-contract works have already started on a


number of these pilots with some having already progressed to the construction phase. These include the HK$2 billion (£160 million) Tin Shui Wai community hospital (NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC) option A) and the HK$678 million (£54 million) Happy Valley storm- water storage scheme (ECC option C). Other projects currently being implemented


or in the pipeline include a village sewerage works in the New Territories, sewerage treatment plant and facilities maintenance, highways improvements works, highways noise barriers, highways maintenance, improvement works to Mui Wo facelift, slope maintenance works and total facilities management schemes. In addition to ECC, the NEC3 Term Service


Contract (TSC) has become a popular choice for maintenance projects, and the government is also looking to trial the NEC3 Professional Services Contract to engage its consultants. The aim is to pilot the full spectrum of NEC contracts to see if the benefits can be realised as intended.


Hong Kong Development Department works branch permanent secretary Wai Chi-Sing addressing delegates at the inaugural NEC Asia-Pacific Users’ Group in Hong Kong in November


More energy sector projects It was also revealed at the conference that


Hong Kong energy company CLP is proactively looking to use NEC contracts for further power station maintenance projects, in addition to its existing TSC coal mill maintenance and facilities management contracts. The company is also looking to use ECC for its


civil projects, having already adopted ECC option B on works relating to one of its transmission substations.●


For further information please contact the author on +852 2263 7304 or email usersgroup@neccontract.com.


ECC chosen by ICC in the Netherlands SIMON FULLALOVE EDITOR


Work is about to start on building a new permanent premises for the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands under a €147 million NEC Engineering and Contruction Contract option C (target contract with activity schedule). It is believed to be the first time that an NEC3


contract has been used on a major construction project in Holland.


Completion in 2015 The ICC, the statute for which has now been


ratified by 121 states worldwide, awarded a construction contract to a combination of Dutch contractors Visser & Smit Bouw and Boele & van Eesteren, both part of the VolkerWessels group, in October 2012. Construction is expected to start shortly with completion scheduled for 2015. Designed by Danish architect Schmidt Hammer Lassen, the new 52,000 m2


premises consists of six


interlinked buildings – housing three court rooms, technical facilities and offices – plus associated car parking and landscaping.


Better value for money ICC compared the Dutch UAV-GC contract with


the international FIDIC and NEC3 forms before opting for NEC3. ‘The choice of NEC3 was based


The €147 million permanent premises for the International Criminal Court is being delivered by Dutch contractors under ECC option C, the first major construction use of NEC in the Netherlands


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on the view that transparency, mutual trust and collaboration will lead to a better result and better value for money’, said ICC project director Neil Bradley. ‘In particular we want to have the highest


quality building delivered on time and within our


budget. NEC3 is enabling us to have open and honest discussions with our contractor about some of the key elements of the project, as well as providing an incentive to the contractor to find better ways of achieving the same end result,’ he said.●


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