Authorities have yet to reveal specific details on the vetting process, although it will involve screening the disciplinary records of authorised persons, including checking for any criminal history, to ensure their company qualifies for government projects.

Linn said there was significant feedback regarding the proposal to expand the vetting process beyond “authorised persons”.

“Can we also expand [the scope], and consider checking the track record of directors or subcontractors as well?” she told a radio programme.

Under the current mechanism, government scrutiny is mostly limited to the track record of the authorised person in charge of a project, who could be a registered surveyor or architect.