Hong Kong’s first public sector NEC contract: lessons learnt

This paper takes a retrospective view of the Hong Kong government’s now-completed NEC pilot contract for Fuk Man Road nullah. It describes the detailed preparation and trial use of an amended NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract option C (target cost with activity schedule) to procure contract DC/2008/02 for the Drainage Services Department between 2006 and 2012. The HK$72 million (£7 million) pilot proved successful at introducing contractual partnering on a Hong Kong public works project, resulting in NEC contracts becoming widely adopted by the government’s works departments. The pilot also identified a number of areas for improvement in the way the NEC was amended and implemented. This paper sets out the lessons learnt for future users of NEC in Hong Kong.