To help the Hong Kong IT industry gain access to the Mainland market, Hong Kong Productivity Council has been appointed by the HKSAR Government to set up the System Integration Qualification Assessment Centre in Hong Kong, conducting assessments on Level 3 & 4 applications of the Computer Information System Integration (SI) Qualification Certification (SI certification).

In consideration of the differences in business model and environment between Hong Kong and the Mainland, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) and the Ministry of Information Industry (MII) of the People Republic of China agreed to set up of a transitional period on the application for Hong Kong enterprises. Seven criteria including: Number of "Project Manager", Professional Title, Business Turnover, Registered Capital, Quality Management System, Total Value of SI Projects and Expense on Software, and Personnel Involved in Software Development and SI were relaxed.

The transitional period ended on 31 December 2006.  Starting from 1 January 2007, the following arrangement will take effect:
(a) For enterprises applying SI qualification certification, there is no assessment on the “Professional Title”;
(b) Projects undertaken in both the Mainland and Hong Kong can be taken into account in counting the business turnover in SI;
(c) For enterprises applying for Level 3 qualification certification, personnel involved in software development and system integration should not be less than 40; and
(d) The quality management system of enterprises applying for levels one to three of the SI qualification certification is required to be certified by a third-party assessment body only

Other criteria will follow the regulations promulgated in the Mainland. The formal announcement by OGCIO on the new Application Procedures for Computer Information System Integration Qualification Certification (OGCIOSIC 3/2006) and Project Manager Qualification (OGCIOSIC 4/2006) can be found in www.hkpc.org/sqa.

If your company would like to obtain the SI certification from 2007 onwards, please refer to www.hkpc.org/sqa or contact the staff in Assessment Centre.

At present, seven enterprises have been awarded the SI certification. They are: Azeus Systems Ltd (Level 2), Y&A Professional Services Ltd (Level 4), Arcotect Limited (Level 4), Integrated Enterprise Solutions Ltd (Level 4), ELM Computer Technologies Limited (Level 3), Objective Solutions Limited (Level 4) and COL Limited (Level 3).

For further information, please contact: Mr. Fritz Chiu Tel:2788 5693 Email: fritzc@hkpc.org Website: www.hkpc.org/sqa.