30+years old
Mandatory Building Inspection SchemeMBIS
The Buildings Department notifies owners of buildings 30 years or older, who must appoint a qualified person to inspect and carry out the repairs required. Inspections then repeat periodically.
- External wall repair
- Spalling concrete
- Drainpipe replacement
- Window replacement
Building repair · MBIS · MWIS
Three quotes, line by line,laid out for the committee
Once the Buildings Department notice lands, the owners' corporation has to tender, compare and vote, with every owner watching the numbers. materialpro helps property managers and repair contractors keep RFQs, quote comparison, purchase orders, deliveries and invoice checks in one place, so each figure has a source.
Quote comparison
External wall repair, residential block
| HKD | A | B | C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spalling concrete repair | 264k | 281k | 249k |
| External drainpipe replacement | 128k | 119k | 134k |
Sample data for illustration
OC meeting
Agenda
- 1.Approve tender documents and assessment criteria
- 2.Open tenders, compare quotes side by side
- 3.Discuss and resolve on the contractor
Sample agenda for illustration
After the statutory notice
Two mandatory schemes, one set of numbers to account for
Owners share the cost of inspection repairs, so every step needs a document, a comparison and a resolution.
10+years old
Mandatory Window Inspection SchemeMWIS
For buildings 10 years or older, owners must appoint a qualified person to inspect windows and repair what is found wanting. Inspections then repeat periodically.
OC
Owners' corporation
Acts for all owners on repairs. Above a certain value, procurement must go to tender under the Building Management Ordinance and be resolved at an OC meeting.
General description only. The Buildings Department notice and the relevant ordinances set the actual requirements.
Tender to handover
Seven steps, a document at each one
Pick a step to see who runs it, what paper it produces, and where materialpro helps.
Step 3 / 7
Tender opening
Tenders are opened one by one and each price goes into the comparison sheet against the same scope, line by line.
- Who runs it
- OC committee, consultant
materialpro handles
Side-by-side comparison: AI helps read quotation PDFs or photos and lays them out by item.
Document at this step
Tender opening record
- Summary of each tender
- Line-by-line comparison
- Programme and warranty terms
Quote comparison
Three contractors, line by line
The lowest price on each line is marked. Take the optional items out of the total and the lowest bidder can change.
Tender comparison sheet
Sample: external wall and window repair, residential block
Sample data for illustration · HKD
| Scope of works | Contractor A | Contractor B | Contractor C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scaffolding and nettingBamboo, with netting | 186,000 | 172,000Lowest | 198,000 |
| Spalling concrete repairHack off, treat rebar, reinstate | 264,000 | 281,000 | 249,000Lowest |
| External plaster and repaintPrimer and finish coats | 289,000Lowest | 298,000 | 305,000 |
| External drainpipe replacementWith clamps and fittings | 128,000 | 119,000Lowest | 134,000 |
| Aluminium window replacementWindows needing repair under MWIS | 356,000 | 342,000Lowest | 371,000 |
| Site management and safetyLump sum | 48,000 | 56,000 | 41,000Lowest |
| Total | 1,271,000 | 1,268,000Lowest total | 1,298,000 |
| Lines where lowest | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Programme | 22 wks | 26 wks | 24 wks |
| Warranty | 12 mths | 24 mths | 12 mths |
Scaffolding and netting
Bamboo, with netting
- Contractor A
- 186,000
- Contractor B
- 172,000 Lowest
- Contractor C
- 198,000
Spalling concrete repair
Hack off, treat rebar, reinstate
- Contractor A
- 264,000
- Contractor B
- 281,000
- Contractor C
- 249,000 Lowest
External plaster and repaint
Primer and finish coats
- Contractor A
- 289,000 Lowest
- Contractor B
- 298,000
- Contractor C
- 305,000
External drainpipe replacement
With clamps and fittings
- Contractor A
- 128,000
- Contractor B
- 119,000 Lowest
- Contractor C
- 134,000
Aluminium window replacement
Windows needing repair under MWIS
- Contractor A
- 356,000
- Contractor B
- 342,000 Lowest
- Contractor C
- 371,000
Site management and safety
Lump sum
- Contractor A
- 48,000
- Contractor B
- 56,000
- Contractor C
- 41,000 Lowest
Total
- Contractor A
- 1,271,000
- Contractor B
- 1,268,000 Lowest total
- Contractor C
- 1,298,000
- Lines where lowest
- 1 / 3 / 2(A/B/C)
- Programme
- 22 / 26 / 24 wks(A/B/C)
- Warranty
- 12 / 24 / 12 mths(A/B/C)
Lowest is not always best: programme, warranty, track record and payment terms still need discussing at the OC meeting. The sheet only organises quotes; the OC and its consultant decide.
Typical repair scope
One building, five different pricing units
Quotes rarely share a unit, so line them up before comparing. These are items commonly found in a repair BQ.
ItemMain materialsUsual pricing unitWhere it goes wrong
- 01
Scaffolding
Main materials
Bamboo poles, lashings, netting
Usual pricing unit
Lump sum; time extensions often priced separately
Where it goes wrong
A longer programme adds scaffold weeks, and owners ask why the price moved
- 02
Spalling concrete repair
Main materials
Repair mortar, rebar treatment
Usual pricing unit
Per location or per area; quantities often provisional
Where it goes wrong
Real damage only shows once opened up, so provisional quantities creep
- 03
External plaster and repaint
Main materials
Cement mortar, skim coat, external paint
Usual pricing unit
Per m² or per sq ft; many contracts remeasure
Where it goes wrong
Estimated area does not match the measured area
- 04
Drainpipe replacement
Main materials
Drain pipes, clamps, connectors
Usual pricing unit
Per metre or per length
Where it goes wrong
Different bore and material specs make quotes hard to compare
- 05
Window replacement
Main materials
Aluminium windows, glass, frame fittings
Usual pricing unit
Per window, by size
Where it goes wrong
Different window types and glass thickness, so unit rates do not compare
Committee, manager, site
Everyone on a repair job has their own headache
OC committee member
“The three quotes are in three formats. I can't tell which line is dear and which is cheap, so the meeting goes round in circles.”
AI helps read quotation PDFs or photos and lays them out by item, side by side, so the meeting can go through them line by line.
Property manager
“An owner asks why the sum went up and I have to dig through the file to answer.”
Purchase orders go through an approval workflow before they are issued, and the approval trail is kept for later.
Site foreman
“Materials turn up, the note doesn't match the order, and nobody has counted what's up on the scaffold.”
Site photographs the delivery note, AI extracts items and quantities and matches the PO, and shortfalls and variances are listed straight away.
Contractor
“At completion the invoice doesn't agree with what we received, and payment sits waiting.”
Invoices are checked against the PO and the receiving record, and price and quantity variances go to a person before payment.
Words on the job
Terms you will hear on a building repair
Notices, tenders and meetings all revolve around these.
Local termWhat it means on a projectOfficial name
- 強制驗樓計劃
- Statutory notice from the Buildings Department to owners of buildings 30 years or older: inspect and repair.
- Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme (MBIS)
- 強制驗窗計劃
- Windows in buildings 10 years or older must be inspected and repaired periodically.
- Mandatory Window Inspection Scheme (MWIS)
- 屋宇署
- The department that issues the notices and regulates building safety.
- Buildings Department (BD)
- 法團
- Formed by owners under the Building Management Ordinance to run the building and its repairs for all owners.
- Owners' Corporation (OC)
- 認可人士
- The professional the OC hires, often to prepare tender documents, supervise works and check completion.
- Authorized Person (AP)
- 招標・比較報價
- Inviting several contractors to price the same scope, then comparing line by line.
- Tender / quotation comparison
- 開標
- Opening the tenders and revealing each contractor's price.
- Tender opening
- 法團會議
- A general meeting or management committee meeting that decides on the contractor.
- OC meeting
- 石屎剝落
- Concrete that breaks away when the rebar inside rusts and swells; it must be hacked off, the bar treated, then repaired.
- Spalling concrete
- 暫定數量・實量
- Quantities estimated at tender and settled by measurement after the work.
- Provisional quantity / remeasurement
- 保養期
- The period after completion when the contractor must rectify defects.
- Defects liability period
FAQ
What OCs and property teams ask most
Does materialpro run the OC tender or file anything with the Buildings Department?
No. Tender documents, inspection reports and anything submitted to the Buildings Department stay with the authorized person or consultant. materialpro covers the purchasing side: RFQs, quote comparison, purchase orders, deliveries and invoice checks.
Can a property management company use it to compare contractor quotes?
Yes. Send an RFQ to several suppliers or subcontractors, who can submit quotes through a link. PDFs and photos you already hold are read with AI help, compared side by side, and the chosen quote can become a purchase order. We suggest a colleague checks what the AI has read.
Can the comparison go straight to the OC meeting?
It is a tool for organising quotes. Whether to rely on it and how to resolve is up to the OC and its consultant. We would attach each contractor's original quotation to the meeting papers.
How do scaffolding, wall repair and window replacement sit in one project?
Set them up as one project and use cost codes to keep each package's materials and spend apart. For scaffold stock, a site can be a warehouse so every movement is recorded.
Will materialpro replace my accounting system?
No. materialpro focuses on purchasing, receiving and stock records. How it connects with your accounting system can be covered in a demo.
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