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THE BRIDGE WOULD BE BUILT ON A DESIGN-AND-BUILD AND NOT A BOT BASIS HAD CHANGED THINGS. SOME OF THE JAPANESE SEEMED TO FAVOUR A WHOLLY AND EXCLUSIVELY JAPANESE GROUP. THERE WAS ALSO A FEELING THAT TWO TRADING HOUSES WAS CERTAINLY ONE TOO MANY AND PERHAPS TWO TOO MANY, NOW THAT THE FINANCIAL STRUCTURE OF A BOT PROJECT
WAS NO LONGER REQUIRED. THE OUTCOME HAD BEEN A DECISION TO AWAIT THE DOCUMENTS FOR THE PRE-QUALIFYING FOR THE BRIDGE, WHICH WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, AND A DECISION WILL THEN BE TAKEN ON THE COMPOSITION OF THE GROUP IN LIGHT OF THE PRECISE REQUIREMENTS. ADAMS SAID THE JAPANESE APPEARED TO THINK THAT THE GROUP COULD TAKE ON OR SHED MEMBERS AFTER PRE-QUALIFYING, BUT THAT TRAFALGAR HOUSE HAD WARNED THEM THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT STYLE WAS TO ALLOW NO FURTHER CHANGES IN THE COMPOSITION OF THE GROUP ONCE PRE-QUALIFICATION HAD BEEN ACCEPTED. ADAMS SAID THAT WITHIN THE JAPANESE GROUP MHI ARE ANXIOUS TO REMAIN WITH MITSUI AND TRAFALGAR HOUSE/COSTAIN, BUT NSC WERE MUCH CLOSER TO C ITOH AND ALSO TENDED TOWARDS AN EXCLUSIVELY ALL-JAPANESE TEAM. ADAMS ALSO SAID THAT MAJOR DISAGREEMENTS REMAIN BETWEEN THE JAPANESE AND THEMSELVES OVER THE RATIO OF WORK SHARING. FROM THIS I CONCLUDE THAT THE JAPANESE
TEAM ARE STILL VERY FAR FROM BEING CEMENTED TOGETHER AND ARE
STILL NOT FORMALLY ALIGNED WITH TRAFALGAR HOUSE/COSTAIN.
THE BRIDGE CONTRACT
5. ALTHOUGH NOTHING HAS BEEN SAID IN PUBLIC, VARIOUS GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SECTOR SOURCES HAVE SAID IT LOOKS INCREASINGLY LIKELY THAT WHAT HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN SEEN AS A SINGLE CONTRACT TO INCLUDE THE LANTAU-MA WAN BRIDGE AND THE MA WAN-TSING YI BRIDGE AND SUBSTANTIAL RELATED ROAD WORKS, WOULD NOW BE SPLIT INTO TWO IF NOT THREE PARTS. THE MAIN BRIDGE (MA WAN TO TSING YI) WOULD STAND ALONE. THE SMALLER BRIDGE (LANTAU-MA WAN) AND THE VIADUCT OVER MA WAN IS LIKELY TO BE A SECOND CONTRACT. RELATED ROAD WORKS MAY BE ADDED TO THE SECOND OR BECOME A THIRD CONTRACT. MANY MORE BRIDGE BUILDING CONTRACTORS WOULD BE CAPABLE OF DOING THE SMALLER BRIDGE THAN THE LARGER. PRE-QUALIFICATION DOCUMENTS ARE LIKELY TO ASK COMPANIES TO QUALIFY FOR EITHER OR BOTH BRIDGE CONTRACTS. ADAMS SAYS AJC WILL GO FOR BOTH. THE LARGER BRIDGE CONTRACT AT VERY APPROXIMATELY HKD 6 OR 7 BILLION IS LIKELY TO BE WORTH ABOUT TWICE AS MUCH AS THE SMALLER BRIDGE AND VIADUCT CONTRACT. MANY IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR HERE SAY THAT THE JAPANESE AND TRAFALGAR HOUSE ARE THE ONLY SERIOUS CONTENDERS FOR THE MAIN BRIDGE, BUT THAT VARIOUS COMPANIES, AND IN PARTICULAR THE GROUP LEAD BY BOUYGUES- DRAGAGUES AND INCLUDING BEAZER OF THE UK WOULD BE CONTENDERS FOR THE SMALLER ONE. THERE IS ALSO TALK OF A KOREAN GROUP BEING
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