【明報專訊】WITH Hong Kong construction costs ranking among the highest in Asia, the Development Bureau is studying ways for cost control. Hong Kong's high labour cost, lengthy approval process as well as high standards and requirements are among the influencing factors. The authorities should streamline the procedures for project approval to avoid cost increase due to project prolongation. At the same time, the industry should be encouraged to adopt new technologies to improve efficiency.
Hong Kong undoubtedly has much higher labour cost than the mainland, but taking into consideration the differences in prices and living standards across the border, the local wage rate is not unreasonable. If the authorities resort to a massive importation of foreign workers to suppress costs, more social problems could result. Amid the slump in the local property sector, many construction workers are in the distress of underemployment. However, the government's Building Works Tender Price Index has hit a new high lately, raising concerns about whether the problem of "greedflation" exists. The authorities should look deeply into that.
Between 2016 and 2020, Hong Kong was continuously ranked in the top three in the International Construction Cost Index. Following the onset of the pandemic and economic downturn, Hong Kong's latest ranking has dropped to ninth globally but it remains number one in Asia. In recent years, the government is often embroiled in controversies related to works projects at "astronomical price". A 540-metre-long footbridge system was estimated to cost as much as $1.7 billion; the cost of a trunk road only 2.3 kilometres long neared $7 billion. Late last year, the Development Bureau commenced a strategic study on construction costs and a paper was recently submitted to a Legco subcommittee.
The paper points out that construction costs can be divided into four categories, including construction labour cost, construction material and equipment cost, machinery cost, as well as risk premium arising from project complexity and operational costs and profits of contractors, etc. The project costs of places like Singapore, Shenzhen and Guangzhou are lower than those of Hong Kong by around 20% to 70%. The reasons for high construction costs in Hong Kong include the ageing of workers, high labour cost, high design standards, lengthy approval process, the mountainous terrain and so on.
The cost of living in Hong Kong and on the mainland cannot be mentioned in the same breath. The Development Bureau's paper also regards Hong Kong's wage level as reasonable. As Hong Kong is a developed society, it is not over the top to uphold higher standards in building designs and labour insurance. It is unjustifiable to compromise these for the sake of cost saving.
The longer a project takes, the higher the construction costs are. Infrastructural and building works in Hong Kong can easily take years to complete mainly because it takes so much time to go through the bureaucratic procedures. In fact, during the so-called "construction period", plenty of time is not spent on actual construction. It is the complex and lengthy government approval process that prolongs the construction period. The government should streamline the process boldly and reduce repetitive approval procedures.
Many local construction workers have said that their number of working days has dropped since the start of this year. In other words, the problem of labour cost surge due to a shortage of hands should not exist. Yet surprisingly, many works tender price indices compiled by the government have shown an upward trend. The Building Works Tender Price Index by the Architectural Services Department even reached a record high in the first quarter of this year. That inevitably raises doubts among the public about whether building contractors have ramped up profiteering. The government should not overlook this aspect of the problem.
明報社評2024.09.26：控制建築成本 精簡審批流程
本港建築成本貴絕亞洲，發展局正研究控制成本方法。香港工資成本高、審批流程長、標準要求高等，都是影響因素，當局應精簡工程審批程序，以免拖長工程導致成本增加，同時亦應鼓勵業界引入新科技提升效率。
論工資成本，香港無疑比內地高出一截，惟考慮到兩地物價及生活水平差異，本地工資水平並非不合理，倘若為了壓低成本而大量輸入外勞，隨時衍生更多社會問題。本港房地產行業持續低迷，不少建築工人都有開工不足之嘆，然而政府建築工程投標價格指數卻升見新高，令人關注是否存在「食水深」的問題，當局應深入檢視。
2016至2020年，香港在「國際建造成本指數」一直位列三甲，之後遇到疫情及經濟不景，最新排名降至第9，但仍列亞洲首位。政府近年不時鬧出「天價工程」爭議，一個540米長行人天橋系統，估算造價高達17億元；一條全長僅2.3公里的幹路，造價可直逼70億元。發展局去年底展開建造成本策略研究，並於近日向立法會工作小組提交文件。
文件提到，建造成本可分為四大類別，包括建築工人成本、建材及設備成本、機械成本，以及工程複雜性所引致的風險溢價、承建商的營運成本及利潤等。新加坡、深圳及廣州等地工程造價比香港低約兩成至七成不等，本港工程成本高昂成因包括工人老齡化及人工成本高、設計標準高、審批流程長、工地山多平地少等。
本港與內地的生活成本，不可同日而語，發展局文件亦認為本港工資屬合理水平。香港是發達社會，在建築設計、勞工保障等方面持高一些標準，並不為過，也沒理由為了節省成本而妥協。
工程耗時愈長，建造成本也愈高。本港基建及建築工程動輒耗時多年，主因是要花大量時間走官僚流程，所謂「施工期」其實有不少時間都沒有在真正施工。政府審批程序多且長，拖長了工期。政府應大刀闊斧精簡流程、減少重複審議程序。
今年以來，不少本地建築工人都表示開工日數減少，換言之，應該不存在人手不足推高人工成本的情况，然而令人訝異的是，多項政府工程投標價格指數均呈升勢，其中建築署「建築工程投標價格指數」今年首季更創歷史新高。外界難免會問，承建商是否變得「食水」更深。政府不應忽略這方面的問題。
■ Glossary 生字 /
greedflation : an increase in the price of goods and services caused by businesses increasing their prices by more than their costs have risen
mention (sb/sth) in the same breath : if you mention two people or things in the same breath, you show that you think they are alike or are related
profiteering : the act of making a lot of money in an unfair way, for example by asking very high prices for things that are hard to get