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748/26/3
020645 MDLIAN 8577
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FM TOKYO
TO PRIORITY DTI
TELNO OTTER 75
OF 23O2OOZ MARCH 91
AND TO PRIORITY FCO, BTC HONG KONG INFO ROUTINE PEKING, ECGD
FOR ADAMS, HEAD OF PEP, DTI
AND FOR MILES, AUS, FCO FROM J OWEN
BTC HONG KONG TELNO 91 OF 15 MARCH:
HONG KONG AIRPORT PROJECT
C R Rogers
3 Gallaher
1. STEVE PLATER AND I CALLED ON TAKEYAMA OF MITSUI ON 20 MARCH FOR AN UPDATE ON THEIR ACTIVITIES REGARDING THE MAIN BRIDGE AND AIRPORT PLATFORM PROJECTS. ON THE BRIDGE, TRAFALGAR HOUSE ARE LEADING WITH DORMAN LONG AND CLEVELAND BRIDGE. THE WORK SHARE IS DIVIDED EQUALLY BETWEEN THE THREE AJC PARTNERS. THEY ARE SUPPORTED BY SAMSUNG CONSTRUCTION AND SAMSUNG SHIPBUILDING AND HEAVY INDUSTRIES, AND ARE PROPOSING TH TECHNOLOGY LTD, COWI (DENMARK) AND ACER AS THE DESIGNERS FOR THE SMALLER BRIDGE. IN DEFENCE OF MITSUI'S CURRENT LACK OF LOBBYING IN HONG KONG, TAKEYAMA EXPLAINED THAT UNLIKE C ITOH, MITSUI'S POLICY IS TO TAKE A PLAYED-DOWN APPROACH TO CONTRACTS OF THIS SORT. THEY HAD BEEN ACTIVE IN MAKING CONTACTS IN THE RUN UP TO THE PREQUALIFICATION, BUT NOW THERE WAS NOTHING TO DO BUT WAIT AND SEE WHICH FIRMS PREQUALIFIED. THEY CLEARLY EXPECTED THIS TO BE THE BOUYGUES-DRAGAGES GROUP, ALL-JAPANESE GROUP AND AJC. ON THE ALL-JAPANESE GROUP, MITSUI COMMENTED THAT THEY WERE TOP-HEAVY ON FABRICATORS AND TRADING HOUSES (THE NAMES OF C ITOH, MITSUBISHI, MARUBENI AND NISSHO IWAI ARE ALL ON THEIR PREQUALIFICATION BID), AND DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH INTERNATIONAL INPUT TO SATISFY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT.
2. WHEN WE ASKED ABOUT OTHER FIRMS ALIGNING THEMSELVES WITH AJC FOR EITHER THE BRIDGE OR THE PLATFORM CONTRACTS, MITSUI SAID THAT THERE WOULD OF COURSE BE ROOM FOR OTHER FIRMS NOT MENTIONED ON THE PREQUALIFICATION DOCUMENT TO PARTICIPATE. SHIMIZU CONSTRUCTION ARE NOT OFFICIALLY PART OF AJC'S PREQUALIFICATION TEAM, BUT WOULD ALMOST CERTAINLY BE INVOLVED IN THE BRIDGE WERE THE AJC GROUP TO WIN THE CONTRACT. HOWEVER, MITSUI WERE NOT CONVINCED THAT THERE WAS ANY ADVANTAGE TO BE HAD IN COOPERATING WITH HOPEWELL, AND THIS WAS NO LONGER A VIABLE POSSIBILITY.
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