Practical implementation of NEC in Hong Kong

Another successful NEC Asia Pacific Users' Group Breakfast Briefing session was held at Mott MacDonald’s office in Kwun Tong, Hong Kong. The focus of this briefing was to provide an insight of how parties perceives to be important areas of emphasis to deliver a successful project under the NEC.

The opening session was delivered by Mr Hayman Choi, introducing the panel speakers and discussion topics to be covered in the Briefing. Mr Choi is an active advisor of the NEC in Hong Kong and has been involved since 2009.

The panel discussion began with Mr KW Mak, Deputy Director of DSD, who provided a series of practical suggestions to improve the successful implementation of NEC in Hong Kong. The suggestions mainly revolve around the improvements of behaviours and mindset amongst those managing the contract across the organisation structure of each party.

Mr Kam Mak of MTRC, then provided first-hand insight into his experience of an existing MTRC contract adopting the ECC. Mr Mak suggested that the selection of the right contractor is crucial to the success of implementing NEC with one of the main criteria being sufficiency of Contractor’s resource when managing the NEC. At the same time, it is suggested that changes within the Employer’s organisation is also required to ensure the contract is administered properly.

Paul Y. Construction who are the Contractor of the MTRC project was represented by Mr Stanley Lo, Director & General Manager, sharing his experience from the Contractor’s perspective on how best to adapt to the unfamiliar processes and mechanisms of the NEC. It was emphasized that changes in mentality of its people was important to instill and earn the trust amongst the various parties. Part of the transition into NEC was aided by training workshops on both NEC and behavioral skills.

The panel discussion was closed out by Ms Lillian Chan of JCP Consultancy, discussing the requisite ‘soft’ skills in people to enhance the collaborative nature between the various parties. From her experience with NEC projects in Hong Kong, Ms Chan suggested that joint problem solving initiatives working towards mutual objectives was key to driving success.

The Breakfast Briefing session was concluded with an open discussion with attendees showing great levels of interest in the practical aspects of managing a NEC contract. The next NEC Asia Pacific Users' Group Breakfast Briefing session is scheduled to be held in April/May 2015.

Ivan Cheung

NEC Asia Pacific Users’ Group Secretary