The long-sustained economic growth experienced in Hong Kong and recent Government directives regarding the provision of public housing into the next millenium have resulted in a number of large scale site formation projects being brought on-line to produce land suitable for high-rise residential development. A stated rate of production of completed housing units of 85,000 per year has highlighted the need for rapid and improved means of site identification and preparatory works, prior to development. A key aspect for consideration in attempting to effectively "fast track" such projects is the particular form of contract applied to reduce the procurement time for site formation. The Po Lam Road Platform Contract, involving the establishment of a building platform in existing hillside for development by the Hong Kong Housing Authority, was one of the first Design and Build contracts to be let for works of this nature by the Civil Engineering Department (CED) and is significant in the particular arrangement of separate government departments acting as Employer and end-user. Tendered in late 1994, the contract was awarded in February 1995 and detailed design commenced the following month, coinciding with the contract ground investigation and initial construction activities. With completion of the earthworks phase in early April 1998, the contract period of three years has seen the excavation of around 2 million m~3 of soil and rock to form the 7 hectare construction platform, and a similar plan area of extensive cut slopes of soil and rock, fill slopes and reinforced earth embankments. This paper reviews the relevant aspects of the Design and Build contract that made it an effective facilitator of the early procurement of the completed site formation. Also discussed is the working relationship maintained for the Po Lam Road Platform works between Employer, Contractor and Designer to pro-actively address design and construction issues. The contractual focus is presented against a technical backdrop, outlining particular aspects of the project and the way in which successful completion was brought about.
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