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The Government today (December 20) invited interested parties to apply for prequalification for the proposed design and build contract of the Tamar development project. Details of the invitation are contained in a notice published in the Gazette. The prequalification document is available for collection by interested parties at the Architectural Services Department and has been uploaded onto the website: http://www.archsd.gov.hk/tamar/.
The scope of the contract will cover the Central Government Complex, Legislative Council (LegCo) Complex and Civic Place proposed for the Tamar site. The selection of contractor for the project comprises two stages: stage one is the prequalification of interested applicants; and formal invitation for tenders among the prequalified applicants will be done under the second stage. Subject to further consultation with and funding support by the LegCo, the project is envisaged to commence in 2007 for completion in 2010.
A spokesman for the Government said the main purpose of the prequalification was to identify no more than five applicants with proven design, managerial, financial and technical capabilities. "The prequalified applicants will be invited to submit tenders for the contractor but prior to that, we will, in the second quarter of 2006, consult the LegCo for its funding approval," the spokesman said.
The prequalification document spells out in the main the proposed overall design objectives of the development project, general user requirements and selection criteria for prequalification. The detailed user requirements will be updated and made available for consultation with the LegCo and incorporation into the tender document.
"The eligibility criteria are laid out in the prequalification document. Interested parties meeting the prescribed criteria and requirements may apply for prequalification from now until March 14, 2006," the spokesman said.
"Applicants for prequalification are required to prepare submissions to demonstrate their managerial, financial and technical capabilities. They are also required to provide concept designs for the proposed development at Tamar."
"The concept design should illustrate integration of the Tamar development with its surrounding areas," the spokesman added. "The Civic Place will take up about half of the site and it will be designed as a leisure and recreational open space for the public."
"In view of public aspirations for preserving the ridgeline and the harbour view, the prequalification document has stated that the design for the proposed development should take account of the goals and planning principles for the harbour devised by the Town Planning Board and Harbourfront Enhancement Committee."
"Moreover, the maximum height of the structures to be developed is now lowered from 180 meters to 130 metres - 160 metres above the Hong Kong Principal Datum."
Prequalification applications should be sent to the General Registry at 1/F, High Block, Electrical and Mechanical Services Department Building, 98 Caroline Hill Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong not later than noon on Tuesday, March 14, 2006. Late applications will not be accepted.
To recapitulate on the background, the Government announced the proposal to re-activate of the Tamar project in October this year. The original project proposal had obtained the support of the Public Works Sub-committee of the Legislative Council in May, 2003, but the project was subsequently deferred due to the impact of SARS on public finance. As the economy and the Government's financial position have improved in the past two years, the Government considered it timely to re-launch the project.
The agreed planning objective has been to develop the Tamar site as Hong Kong's civic core. The relevant Outline Zoning Plan which designated half of the site for "Government, Institution or Community" and half for "open space" uses has gone through the necessary public consultation and town planning process.
In re-activating the project, the Government has excised the original proposed exhibition gallery from the project scope to lower the development intensity. Measures are also introduced to restrict the maximum height of the buildings to be constructed to protect the ridgeline.
The development of the proposed Central Government Complex and LegCo Complex will provide a long-term solution to the office-space shortage problem facing the Government Secretariat and the LegCo. It is envisaged that the project will create some 2,700 jobs for the construction sector which has been facing high unemployment.
Ends/Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Issued at HKT 17:01
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