FAQs

1. What e-services do e-TS(CS) provide?

Visitors can view the forecast of consultancies and invitation notices.

Visitors can register an account in e-TS(CS) (“e-TS(CS) account”) on behalf of the consultant to handle the bidding exercise.

Registered Users of consultants being invited can download invitation documents and related documents issued by the procuring departments, send messages/ queries to and receive responses from the procuring departments, and submit proposals via the system.

Bidders can also submit responses to clarifications requested by the procuring departments and view the results on the consultancy agreement.

2. How to secure the e-services provided in e-TS(CS) are in safe hands?

The e-services implemented under e-TS(CS) comply with the standing and established security guidelines and authentication framework for Government IT systems. Transmission and storage of sensitive data are encrypted, protected and controlled according to the prescribed guidelines and procedures. Other measures such as access right control and authorisation, audit trail, etc. are in place and periodic system security audits will be carried out to ensure system and data security.

3. What can I do if I have questions with regard to the e-services provided in e-TS(CS)?

For enquiries, please contact the e-TS(CS) Helpdesk.

4. Why does the time displayed in e-TS(CS) differ from that shown on my computer?

e-TS(CS) synchronizes with the Hong Kong Standard Time which is maintained by the Hong Kong Observatory. The time difference may be caused by the network latency and such an effect may become more significant over the usage of mobile data, congested networks, etc.

5. Why do some Chinese characters (Traditional Chinese and/ or Simplified Chinese) shown on my computer / mobile phone screen displayed improperly?

e-TS(CS) adopts Unicode and Hong Kong Supplementary Character Set (HKSCS) as the encoding standard for Chinese characters. If your computer does not support these two encoding standards, some Chinese characters may not be displayed properly in e-TS(CS). You may visit the GovHK website as below for details.

Other Technical Questions and Trouble Shooting

Hong Kong Supplementary Character Set (HKSCS)

6. Do I need to pay for account and/ or sub-account registration in e-TS(CS)?

No.

7. Do I need to pay any annual / monthly subscription fee in e-TS(CS)?

No.

8. Why can’t I receive a notification email from e-TS(CS)?

Your email service provider may classify the notification email sent by e-TS(CS) as spam and directed to the junk mail box of your email account. Please check your account junk mail box and set the sender with an email address “ets-cs@egismail.gov.hk”  not to be spam, if required. Also, please be reminded to keep your e-TS(CS) account and/ or sub-account information such as business email address up-to-date.

9. What are the system requirements for using the e-services under e-TS(CS)?

You can access the e-services through a web browser on computers or mobile devices. You are recommended to view the e-TS(CS) webpages with the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Safari or Google Chrome.
You may visit System Requirements for Using GovHK for details of requirements.

1. Can I register a e-TS(CS) account?

Yes, please go to the registration  page of e-TS(CS) and follow the instructions to register a e-TS(CS) account.  Details procedures refer to the user manual “Account Registration and Login”

Please note that registering a e-TS(CS) account does not mean that you have applied for inclusion in the List of Consultants of the Architectural and Associated Consultants Selection Board (“List of AACSB”) / the List of Consultants of the Engineering and Associated Consultants Selection Board (“List of EACSB”)/ the List of Buildings Department Pre-Qualified Consultants (“List of BD”). If you wish to do so, you shall submit an application to the relevant government departments/ boards.

2. If I am not a consultant based in Hong Kong, can I register a e-TS(CS) account?

Yes, you can register a e-TS(CS) account as long as you can provide basic business information as required such as registrant name and business registration number, business email address, etc.

3. What should I do if I cannot receive the One Time Password (“OTP”) for verifying my email address in the account registration process?

If you cannot receive the email containing the OTP after a while, you may check if the email has been directed to the junk mailbox of your email account. If not, please click the button “Resend OTP” shown at the bottom of the page “Verify your email address” and the email containing the OTP will be re-sent to the corresponding email address.

4. What should I do if I forget my account login (business email address) and/ or account password?

If you forget your account login (business email address), please contact the e-TS(CS) Helpdesk. 

If you forget your account password, please click “Forgot Password” in the login page of e-TS(CS) to reset your password. 

Details procedures refer to the user manual “Change Account Email and Reset Account Password”

5. What should I do if I cannot login to my e-TS(CS) account?

If you cannot login to your e-TS(CS) account, please ensure that you have entered the correct login/ business email address and account password, and check if the “Caps Lock” button has been inadvertently enabled when you enter the login/ business email address and password.  If the problem persists, please contact the e-TS(CS) Helpdesk. 

6. Can I update my e-TS(CS) account information?

Please login to your e-TS(CS) account and click “Manage Account” to update/ edit your account information. Click “Save” and the changes will take effect immediately.

Detail procedures refer to the user manual “View and Update Account and Contact Details”

7. Can I register a sub-account for my colleagues?

If your e-TS(CS) account has been authenticated that you have been included in the List of AACSB and/ or List of EACSB and/ or List of BD, you can register a e-TS(CS) sub-account for your colleagues.

Detail procedures refer to the user manual “Manage Sub-Account”.

8. How many sub-accounts can I register?

Maximum 10 nos. of sub-account is allowed.

9. I have registered a e-TS(CS) account before inclusion in the List of AACSB and / or List of EACSB and/ or the List of BD, can I authenticate the same e-TS(CS) account once my application for inclusion in the List of AACSB and/ or List of EACSB and/ or List of BD is confirmed?

Yes, detail procedures refer to the user manual “View and Update Account and Contact Details”

1. Can I view the forecast of consultancies?

Yes, all visitors can view the forecast of consultancies in e-TS(CS).

Detail procedures refer to the user manual “View Forecast of Consultancies”.

1. Can I view the invitation notices of consultancies?

Yes, all visitors can view the invitation notice in e-TS(CS).

Detail procedures refer to the user manual “View Invitation Notice and Download Invitation Document”.

Click to view the details of the invitation notice for those consultancy agreement procured via e-TS(CS) (i.e. marked “Yes” in the column named “E-Service”) ”). Alternatively, click to redirect the page to the corresponding webpage of the procuring department for those consultancy agreements not procured via e-TS(CS) (i.e. marked “No” in the column named “E-Service”).

2. How do I know whether a particular consultancy agreement is being procured via e-TS(CS)?

Go to the e-TS(CS) webpage “Invitation Notice”, the consultancy agreement procured via e-TS(CS) is marked “Yes” in the column named “E-Service”.

1. How can I know if I have been invited to submit an Expression of Interest or Technical and Fee Proposals in the e-TS(CS)?

e-TS(CS) will send a notification email to the consultants being invited to submit an Expression of Interest or Technical and Fee Proposals. You may click the hyperlink appended to the notification email and it will redirect you to the e-TS(CS) homepage. Click “Invitation Notice” and click to select the concerned consultancy agreement to view the details of the invitation notice.

Alternatively, login to e-TS(CS) at the landing page “My Invitation”, and click the radio button “EOI/ T&F Invited” to view the list of consultancy agreements that you have been invited by the procuring department via the e-TS(CS).

2. Is it deemed to be invited to submit an Expression of Interest or Technical and Fee Proposals once I have registered a e-TS(CS) account?

No, registering a e-TS(CS) account does not mean that you are invited or has been included in the invitation list of any consultancy agreements.

1. Can I download the invitation documents for the consultancy agreement?

If you wish to download invitation documents of the consultancy agreement, you must have a valid e-TS(CS) account.

Detail procedures refer to the user manual “View Invitation Notice and Download Invitation Document” and/ or “Download and Acknowledge if Addendum”.

You may note that an invitation code may be appended in the notification email sent by e-TS(CS) for the invitation, please input the invitation code in the pop-up dialog before proceeding to confirm the Terms and Conditions of Use and Participation, download the Licence Conditions and invitation documents.

2. How can I view the downloaded invitation documents, addendum and etc. with .p7s file extension?

The documents issued by the procuring department are digitally signed in .p7s file extension to ensure the confidentiality of the message and data integrity.

To view these documents, a software supporting .p7s viewer is required. You may download the software named “DSigner” at the page of “Details of Invitation Notice” of e-TS(CS). After installation, you can view/ convert the documents by using DSigner provided that you are deemed to abide by its Terms and Conditions. Detail procedures refer to the DSigner user manual.

Please note that there are several software supporting .p7s viewer available in the market and you are not obliged to use DSigner.

3. Can I download the documents repeatedly?

Yes.

1. Can I send messages or raise queries with regard to the consultancy agreement to the procuring department?

If you wish to send messages/ queries to the procuring department, you must have a valid e-TS(CS) account.

Detail procedures refer to the user manual “Send messages and Queries to Procuring Department”

You may note that an invitation code may be appended in the notification email sent by e-TS(CS) for the invitation, please input the invitation code in the pop-up dialog before proceeding to send messages or raise queries.

2. Can I withdraw the messages/ queries sent to the procuring department?

No. You may send a new message/ query to supplement or clarify your previous messages/ queries.

3. How can I know if the procuring department responds to my messages or queries?

A notification email will be sent to your account and/ or designated sub-account business email address once the procuring department issued a response to your messages/ queries.

4. Can I make a follow-up reply to the response issued by the procuring department?

No. Please send a new messages/ queries to the procuring department via e-TS(CS).

1. When can I submit my proposal via e-TS(CS)?

The function of submitting a proposal via e-TS(CS) is available from the time of invitation to the Closing Date and Time of the concerned consultancy agreement.

If you wish to submit your proposal via e-TS(CS), you are recommended to do so at your soonest to avoid any unexpected circumstances.

2. Are there any restrictions in submitting a proposal via e-TS(CS)?

There are restrictions on the file format, number of files and file size. Details refer to the table below:

* Only accept digitally signed pdf file in .p7s format for Fee Proposal.

3. Are there any requirements for making the submission of proposal in electronic format via e-TS(CS)?

Please refer to the requirements mentioned in the invitation document of the concerned consultancy agreement.

General notes are also provided as below for your information.  For the avoidance of doubt, in the event of any discrepancy between the general notes and the contents of the invitation document, the invitation documents shall prevail.

1.  Electronic files of documents specified in the invitation document shall be digitally signed in .p7s file format.
2.  Organisational e-Cert issued under the name of the Consultant shall be used for the purpose of applying digital signatures.
3.  The Organisational e-Cert corresponding to the Digital Signatures must be valid as at earlier of the date and time on which (i) the file is submitted via the e-TS(CS); or (ii) the date and time on which the file is signed, if such information is generated in the form of time stamp in the affixed digital signature.
   
   

You may compress the digitally signed files as a .zip file format and upload to e-TS(CS) for submission of EOI or Technical Proposal, if required.  For Fee Proposal, .zip file format is NOT allowed.

4. How can I digitally sign my proposal?

You may download the software named “DSigner” at the page of “Details of Invitation Notice” of e-TS(CS). After accepting the Terms and Conditions, you can install DSigner and make use of it to digitally sign the documents. Detail procedures refer to the DSigner user manual.

Use of DSigner for digital signing is completely optional.

5. How to apply and obtain an Organisational e-Cert?

Please contact the certification authorities recognized under the Electronic Transactions Ordinance (Cap.553) and apply for an Organisational e-Cert. You may go to e-TS(CS) “Home > e-TS > Useful Information > Recognized Certification Authorities in Hong Kong” for details.

You may find more information (for reference only) on Development Bureau webpage

Please be reminded to allow sufficient time for the application of Organisational e-Cert.

6. Can an overseas organization apply and obtain an Organisational e-Cert?

An overseas organization may appoint and authorize a local representative to apply and obtain an Organisational e-Cert on its behalf. Please contact the certification authorities for details.

7. Who can submit a proposal via e-TS(CS)?

Please refer to the requirements mentioned in the invitation document of the concerned consultancy agreement.

For the avoidance of doubt, notwithstanding any general reminder notes are provided as below for your attention, in the event of any discrepancy between the general reminder notes and the contents of the invitation document, the invitation documents shall prevail.

1. Proposals shall be submitted via a valid account or sub-account in e-TS(CS) registered under the name of the consultant
2. If the proposals are submitted in the form of an unincorporated joint venture, the proposal shall be submitted via a valid account or sub-account in e-TS(CS) registered under the name of one participant to the joint venture.

8. How can I know if I complete the proposal submission process?

Once you completed the proposal submission, an acknowledgement with receipt details will be displayed on the screen for your information. You are recommended to save this acknowledgement for record purposes.

9. During the proposal submission process, will e-TS(CS) check if my proposal in electronic format are contaminated with virus, damaged, corrupted or at any abnormal status?

No. It is the sole responsibility of the consultants to ensure that their proposal in electronic format are virus-free, not being damaged, not being corrupted and at normal status.

10. How long does the proposal submission process take?

It would depend on several factors including but not limited to the speed of broadband at the consultant’s office, total file size and number of submission and the number of concurrent submissions by other consultants.

If you wish to submit your proposal via e-TS(CS), you are strongly recommended to submit your proposal at your soonest to avoid any unexpected circumstance.

11. How to verify the integrity of the uploaded files?

To ensure the integrity of the uploaded file, please make sure that the MD5 checksum displayed beside the uploaded file name is the same as the MD5 checksum of your local file. You may follow the instructions in the User Manual to obtain MD5 checksum in your workstation.  

1. How do I know if a clarification is requested by the procuring department?

A notification email will be sent to the business email address of the account/ sub-account holder who submitted proposals once the procuring department issued a request for clarification with regard to the submitted proposal.

2. Can I submit my response to the clarification requested by the procuring departments via e-TS(CS)?

Yes, detail procedures refer to the user manual “Response to Clarification”.

1. How can I know the invitation result?

A notification email will be sent to the business email address of the account/ sub-account holder who submitted proposals once the procuring department issued the letters of invitation result.

The award of consultancies will be published in e-TS(CS), detail procedures refer to the user manual “View Award of Consultancy”.