Hong Kong lawmakers have called for tougher vetting of bidders for government tenders, accusing authorities of accepting information submitted by companies at face value after awarding a HK$52.9 million (US$8.8 million) bottled water contract to a firm suspected of deception.
They made the calls for stricter background checks as a senior official apologised for the first time over the growing procurement scandal, which came to light at the weekend after the government was forced to terminate a three-year deal with a water supplier, Xin Ding Xin Trade.
