- Toll roads / Harbour Bridge (Rs 30 billion) GroupFive / Strabag denies choice Colas / Bouygues as 'Most Preferred Bidder'
- The challenge presented to the RDA Friday afternoon before the formal appeal to the Independent Review Panel
- Terre-Rouge/Verdun Link Road: Claims of Rs 709 million Colas still pending and uncertainty at the end of this important road project
- Metro-light Priority immediate realignment and 'Land Requirements' between Curepipe and Port Louis
Despite efforts by the Central Procurement Board trying to reassure procedures adopted in relation to the awarding of the contract under the Mauritius Decongestion Road Project to a maximum of Rs 30 billion, the controversy is gaining momentum at the start of the year. Indeed, the German consortium / JV South African GroupFive-Strabag, rejected by the Road Development Authority for the benefit of Colas / Bouygues (PLAN), took the initiative to challenge the choice of the latter group as Most Preferred Bidder. As stated by Weekend, the decision to allocate this contract, which are major components of network management of toll roads across the island as well as the construction of the Harbour Bridge crossing the harbor, was approved for period end of year festivities. This case will be added to the controversies that characterize large infrastructure projects carried out under the supervision of the Ministry allocated to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Infrastructure Anil Bachoo. There is no doubt that this major contract will become a Political Hot Potato Very (VHPP) as are last year's Rs 709 million claims submitted by Colas for the work of the Link Road to Terre-Rouge/Verdun an initial value of Rs 2.2 billion (+ 30%). Another important road infrastructure project will begin to take shape in 2013, the Light Rail System (Metro-light), with the allocation procedures of contract committed by the end of the year.
spite of the atmosphere of Christmas year-end, consultants and officials Strabag consortium JV-GroupFive have no idle. Working with a major law firm business and Mauritian legal advice from Germany and South Africa, the consortium ousted year tender by the Road Development Authority has developed its folder to the challenge of choosing Colas / Bouygues. The Mauritius Decongestion Road Project includes several major projects including the implementation and operation of the Toll Road Network Management on strategic roads, is the Port Louis Ring Road, the construction of the Harbour Bridge, the bridge connecting the lowlands of Plaines Wilhems, the National Terre-Rouge/Verdun the Link Road, Verdun / Trianon Link Road, the highway between Bagatelle to Valentina, the Iron Bridge between Port Louis and the stretch of highway between North Pier D and Terre-Rouge.
Normally, the consortium German-South African had a period of 15 days to formally indicate its disagreement with the choice of the Road Development Authority for the Most Preferred Bidder. Cross-checking by Weekend indicate that the official letter with reasons that challenge the decision of the RDA has been filed with the competent authorities in mid-day Friday, demanding a revision of the Most Preferred Bidder choice.
Regardless of the decision of the RDA about this challenge, the consortium JV Strabag-GroupFive prepares to defend its position before the Independent Review Panel within the time prescribed by the law governing the procurement. In doing so, the folder bidder intends to submit this includes a real string of gaps and deficiencies identified to date in the procedures adopted by the RDA for choosing Colas / Bouygues.
GroupFive-side of Strabag, it refrains to report the content of the objections to be lodged. However, they can capitalize on the changes and the changes since the Clarification Letter of the Central Procurement Board consortium Colas / Bouygues dated November 16. Following objections raised, the CPB had made ??requests to the consortium to make changes in design proposals and Interchanges in the area of Phoenix.
request CPB This involved long after the close of the deadline for tender, on October 23, is considered a violation of the provisions of the expected size Public Procurement Act. This request for clarification from the bidder Colas / Bouygues about "details of Their Proposed design of the Phoenix, and Jumbo Dowlut Interchanges" was made ??by the Transaction Advisor or SPP Projects Solutions, represented by Darron Johnson.
Note 1 in Road Decongestion the PPP Program Project: TET Final Evaluation Report on page 45 of this confidential document confirms this change request proposals, including "The Proposed design in the clarification response is preferable to Proposed That in the Best and Final offer (BAFO) response. The Technical TET did not update icts scoring of the consortium's BAFO response since the consortium HAD a revised Proposed design. However the Technical TET recommends que le revised design shoulds be ADOPTED shoulds be appointed the consortium as Preferred Bidder. "
Within the consortium GroupFive-Strabag, the chronology of events since the closure of the trading period with the provision abortive Letter Most Preferred Bidder for the date of 26 November for Colas, Bouygues will be a centerpiece in the challenge.
Indeed, with the initial plan to mature on November 26 last year was foiled due to severe denunciations in columns Weekend and Mauritius. A document circulating since late last year under the coat, highlights the fact that at some point, there was talk of leapfrogging, including the endorsement of the Council of Ministers.
" This is scandalous as the government will need to pay and give Sovereign Guarantee and the Transaction Advisor feels That It is not Necessary to get the approval of the government, "say experts in the field. Later in this same letter of denunciation to the members of government to thwart this plan, reference is made ??that "the most scandalous issue is submission of que le-Colas and Bouygues is not compliant do not meet the technical Request for Proposal requirements ".
Witness the gaps identified in the submissions Colas, Bouygues, is the absence of Graded Separated Interchanges, problems of traffic roundabouts in Phoenix, and Jumbo Dowlut no solution to congestion problems already existing overflow traffic spilled into the local network, the postponement to 2022, five years after the end of the work, "Upgrades at Interchanges" and the need to resort to compulsory acquisition of land for the realization this project.
In addition to this, the design for the construction of the Harbour Bridge, a key pillar placed in the middle of the harbor and reducing any potential development of the Cruise Terminal, appears on the front line of the facts attributed to controversial proposals Colas -Bouygues.
Anyway, this is not the first time that the Colas Group is caught in the midst of the dispute. Another site road infrastructure therefore, the construction of the Link Road Terre-Rouge/Verdun, been a real showdown between the contractors and the Road Development Authority.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Infrastructure grants existence since September of last year a dispute over claims extra payment of Rs 709 million on an initial contract of Rs 2.2 billion. At the end of last year, this application claims was still under consideration by the RDA
Another direct consequence of these problems relates to additional work the backlog for the operationalization of this arterial road between the north and center of the island to avoid the trap of Port-Louis. A hotel of the government, it is believed that this road could be open to traffic by the end of the first quarter.
Given the state of the field and Colas statements confirming significant delays for topographical reasons and others, it is clear that the introduction of this route should only occur towards the end of this year at the earliest.
Moreover, the proposed construction of metro-light between Curepipe and Port Louis will make their way in the list of forced labor Anil Bachoo. Early this year, consultants Singapore Cooperation Enterprise will be asked to submit the first sketches of the new route for the Light Rail Transit System Mauritius for the initial part, before any extensions to the north (Port Louis to Grand Bay) and South (Curepipe to Mahebourg).
During the past three months, Singaporeans have had the opportunity to conduct a series of raids on places to identify constraints in the formulation of this plot . Even if the option of a metro-light, built on stilts in many places, is retained, compulsory acquisition of land are to be expected. The Singapore Cooperation Enterprise will present its first proposals to the government early this year to meet the timetable establishing a first call to the end of the year and the start of work in 2014.
Along the same lines, the government started at the end of last year a Market Sounding Session Mauritius Light Rail Transit. "To address the problem of congestion, the government of Mauritius is Investigating the introduction of the Light Rail Transit System Mauritius (MLRT) Between Curepipe and Port Louis, together with Supporting Measures Such as integrated bus services and integrated ticketing system. The Government of Mauritius is Strongly Committed to the success of this project, "says the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, which adds with the Market Sounding Session" the Government of Mauritius is seeking to ESTABLISH the potential market interest and the ranks of alternative PPP schemes That Will determines the viability, sustainability and capacity of the future Light Rail Transit System Mauritius. "
Bread on the board at the Ministry of Public Infrastructure ...
Work in progress: To the North more accessible
To a bypass road Schoenfield, Rivière-du-Rempart will be built, which will enable road users to make easier and faster the north of the island, taking in the villages of Trebuchet and Hope Cottage. Phase II of this project has already started to ring. As for the Goodlands bypass at a cost of Rs 294.8 million, it has greatly contributed to improve traffic flow in this region very hectic and busy.
Moreover, the East Coast Trunk Road linking the extreme north to the extreme East . This road project 30 km between Forbach and Bel Air has necessitated the compulsory acquisition of land. A second carriageway between Grand Baie and Pamplemousses will emerge, with investments of Rs 500 M. The rehabilitation of the road Riche-Terre has already started and will cost Rs 75 M.
Decongestion of the city: Always a Priority
The widening of the M1 between Phoenix and Port-Louis completed more than 80%. Rs 52.2 million were spent on a bridge at straws, while progress on enlargement Colville Deverell Bridge are at 50%. As a reminder, the second lifting bridge that occurs in the transformation program of the National three lanes in each direction between Port Louis and Phoenix.
Works are undertaken by Sinohydro (China) under the supervision of engineers Road Development Authority. The contract amount is Rs 257.8 million. Is a Contract-Based Measure, the final cost will depend on the volume of work undertaken. The expansion of the bridge in the direction of Port-Louis, to 8m50 in width over a length of 111m, started since January 16, 2011. It is expected that the project be delivered in July 2013.
Beginning of Phase II of the Ring Road this year
The first phase of Ring Road in Port Louis is about to be completed. Will follow the Phase II project, including technical and financial specifications are still unclear. There was talk last September that the Ministry of Public Infrastructure abandons the path of the Ring Road beyond Tranquebar. The reason given: with the realization of the Harbour Bridge, there is no longer any need to continue the route until Pitot Valley.
Commissioning of Harbour Bridge will facilitate the connection with the Quai D Caudan. Therefore, the path of the second phase of the Ring Road should be amended with a road leading to Tranquebar attached. From there, motorists can reach Château D'Eau around the Champ-de-Mars.
Initially, the second phase would see the construction of a 775m tunnel under the mountain Corner Beef with access to Chateau D'eau along the slope of Mount Signals to Tranquebar. Thereafter, it will cross the back of the hill before heading Monneron Valley Pitot Plaine-Verte, Cité Martial, Nicolay Road and Pier D.
In 2010, the 384 squatters on the route of the Ring Road Vallée Pitot offered stiff resistance to any possible relocation.
By cons, compulsory acquisitions of land in Les Salines on the route of the Harbour Bridge have already begun. The frustration of the people is even greater than some believe that political lobbies in favor of squatters north of the capital seem to have weighed their weight for realignment with the end of the Ring Road at Tranquebar. Thus, according to the latest available information, the Department has opted for a tunnel under the mountain of signals with an output just before Tranquebar near the Champ-de-Mars.
The Caudan interchange and the Third Way
After rise to various controversies, the Caudan flyover was delivered April 10, 2012, almost a year later. But the delivery of the project, at a cost of Rs 200 million, however, did not help matters, the proof being the slowdown monster found the first two days of commissioning. The Minister of Public Infrastructure Anil Bachoo, however enough to praise the commissioning of the flyover as expected.
Economy time is 15 minutes, provided by the Caudan flyover, announced with fanfare by Anil Bachoo, is hard to see.
To reminder, the launch took place during a relatively quiet period because of school holidays, and one hour average traffic. In fact, to get to the capital, on average it takes 10 to 15 minutes more, with heavy traffic in the vicinity of Camp Chapelon and Place d'Armes.
For example, the number of vehicles entering the bottleneck Pont Colville-Sorèze increased, which resulted in a first cause slowdown at Bagatelle and a second, more pronounced Bell-Village to the Place d'Armes for those who choose the flyover.
The third track, cost of Rs 150 million, is currently under construction from the flyover and continue until the Postal Museum. The second stage of the project will involve a new section about 1 km between the Place d'Armes, where the angle is located McDonald, and Caudan flyover. This section will run along the two output channels of the current capital. Work will begin shortly and will be spread over ten months.
