CONFIDENTIAL
FM DTI
TO IMMEDIATE BTC HONG KONG
TELNO OTTER 83
OF 25170OZ MARCH 91
CONFIDENTIAL
Мкв 182 13
Mr Paul
пс
Mc
FILE.
५१)
021756
MDHIAN 9541
Furness
726/3
FOR HEAP FROM ROGERS, PEP1
PADS : ANGLO/JAPANESE CONSTRUCTION
AS FORESHADOWED IN MY OTTER 79, WE SAW MANZIE ON 22 MARCH. THIS PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITY BOTH TO REVIEW THEIR POSITION ON HOPEWELL (AS SET OUT IN OTTER 79) AND TO DISCUSS SOME OF THE
ISSUES IN YOUR TELNO 91.
2.
MANZIE SAID THAT THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT STORIES THAT THE HKG WAS GOING TO PRE-QUALIFY FOR THE BRIDGE SOME COMPANIES WHO WERE NOT REGARDED AS REAL RUNNERS, AS WELL AS THE OBVIOUS SHORTLIST. THEY THOUGHT THIS WOULD CONFUSE THE ISSUE, AND THEY DID NOT THINK THAT IT WAS A VERY RESPONSIBLE WAY FORWARD, GIVEN THE COST COMPANIES WOULD INCUR IN MOUNTING A FULL BID. HOWEVER THEY WERE STILL RELYING ON THEIR BEING ABLE TO REVIEW THE PARTICIPATION OF OTHER FIRMS IN THE CONSORTIUM FOLLOWING PRE-QUALIFICATION. AS FAR AS HOPEWELL WAS CONCERNED, THEY REITERATED THAT THEY HAD HELD LENGTHY DISCUSSIONS WITH THEM AND THAT THEY HAD NOT FOUND THEM RELIABLE OR STRAIGHTFORWARD. AJC CONSIDERED THAT THE ROLE OF IHI WAS THE KEY, AND THERE WAS MUCH UNCERTAINTY ABOUT WHERE THEY WOULD END UP. WE SAID THAT WE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HOPEWELL COULD BE DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH, BUT THEY COULD POTENTIALLY OFFER AN IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION: AND THE HISTORY OF THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN DISCUSSION ABOUT THE AIRPORT PROJECT OVER THE YEARS MEANT THAT THERE WAS INEVITABLY A POLITICAL DIMENSION AS WELL. AS WE HAVE NOTED BEFORE, IF THEY FAIL TO PRE-QUALIFY THEY WILL BE RATHER A LOOSE CANNON. MANZIE ACKNOWLEDGED MUCH OF THIS, AND INDICATED THAT THE AJC WOULD BE CONSIDERING THE POSITION CAREFULLY. IF IT CAN BE GUARANTEED THAT HOPEWELL COULD DETACH IHI FROM THE JAPANESE CONSORTIUM AND BRING THEM IN TOO, THAT WOULD CERTAINLY BE ATTRACTIVE.
3.
WE SAID THAT WE THOUGHT IT WAS VITAL THAT THE AJC SHOULD VISIT HONG KONG AGAIN TO STRONGLY RE-ASSERT THEIR CREDENTIALS
ON THE GROUND. MANZIE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT ADAMS HAD BEEN IN THE
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CONFIDENTIAL