Swire Coca-Cola wins HK$32 million government deal after bottled water scandal

Swire Coca-Cola has secured a significant HK$31.9 million (US$4 million) contract to supply Bonaqua drinking water to Hong Kong government offices, marking a notable procurement decision following a major scandal. The 27-month contract, awarded by the Government Logistics Department, involves supplying more than 1.46 million bottles to offices on Hong Kong Island and parts of the outlying islands. This award comes after an open tender launched in December 2025, which introduced stringent new requirements for bidders, including proving a market share over the past decade, maintaining at least 50 sales channels, and possessing a daily delivery capacity of 100 orders.

The contract award is directly contextualized by a HK$52.9 million bottled water supply scandal from August 2025, where a mainland Chinese supplier, Xin Ding Xin Trade, was awarded a contract and later alleged to have submitted fraudulent documents. That deal, which was the first of its kind awarded to a mainland firm, was initially touted to save the city's civil servants approximately HK$16.2 million annually. The subsequent scandal and investigation into potential fraud and breaches of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance appear to have prompted stricter due diligence, evidenced by the new tender's financial review and on-site inspection clauses for bids over HK$15 million. This contract reinforces Swire Coca-Cola's position as a trusted supplier, having also won a HK$40.5 million government water supply contract in June 2023.