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5. FOR THE BRIDGES OUR FRONT-LINE CONTENDERS, WHO HAVE HAD FULL DTI BACKING INCLUDING FINANCIAL SUPPORT, ARE THE ANGLO-JAPANESE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY (AJC) CREATED FOR THE PURPOSE BY TRAFALGAR HOUSE/COSTAIN AND MITSUI. BEAZAR OF THE UK, WHO HAVE A STRONG HONG KONG PRESENCE, ARE IN THE GROUP LED BY BOUYGUES OF FRANCE AND HOPE TO GET ABOUT 15 PER CENT OF THE WORK IF THAT GROUP IS SUCCESSFUL. ANOTHER CONTENDER, HOPEWELL, ALSO HAVE SMALL BRITISH ELEMENTS AND WERE THEY TO BE SUCCESSFUL (WHICH ON THE FACE OF IT SEEMS UNLIKELY) THEY MIGHT ALSO BRING IN COSTAIN WITH WHOM THEY HAVE HAD A LONG LINKEAGE. WE DO NOT KNOW THE FULL LIST OF THOSE WHO SOUGHT TO PRE-QUALIFY. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THERE ARE OTHER SMALL BRITISH ELEMENTS BUT THESE ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE CONSULTANTS THAN CONTRACTORS AND BRIDGE BUILDERS.
6. FOR THE SITE PREPARATION CONTRACT IT IS NOT YET POSSIBLE TO KNOW WHO WILL BE ATTEMPTING TO PRE-QUALIFY. AJC SEEM CERTAIN TO DO SO, WITH COSTAIN IN THE LEAD (AS TRAFALGAR HOUSE WILL LEAD IN THE BRIDGES). WIMPEY ARE ALSO EMERGING AS A MAJOR PLAYER AND ARE ALIGNING THEMSELVES WITH NISHIMATSU OF JAPAN AND MORRISON KNUDSON OF THE UNITED STATES. BALFOUR BEATTY ARE ACTIVELY INTERESTED BUT WE HAVE NOT SEEN THEM RECENTLY AND DO NOT YET KNOW WITH WHOM THEY
ARE LOOKING TO BE ALIGNED. NOR IS IT POSSIBLE TO KNOW AT THIS STAGE WHERE THE MAIN COMPETITION LIES. IT SEEMS CERTAIN THAT MANY OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST CONTRACTORS WILL BE IN CONTENTION, AND THUS EVEN TO PRE-QUALIFY WILL NOT BE EASY.
7. THE SIZE OF THESE TWO CONTRACTS SHOULD NOT BE UNDER-ESTIMATED. ONE OF THE TWO BRIDGES WILL BE THE WORLD'S LONGEST SINGLE-SPAN SUSPENSION BRIDGE WHILE THE OTHER WILL BE OF NO MEAN PROPORTIONS. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PLATFORM WILL REQUIRE EXPENDITURE IN THE ORDER OF HKD250 MILLION A MONTH AND A RATE OF EXCAVATION, BLASTING AND ROCK REMOVAL RARELY SEEN IN THE WORLD BEFORE. EVEN ALLOWING FOR DEVELOPMENTS IN THE GULF THEY WILL STILL BE AMONG THE VERY LARGEST PROJECTS ANYWHERE. GIVEN BRITAIN'S STAKE IN HONG
KONG WE MUST SURELY HOPE TO GET A REASONABLE SHARE OF THIS BUSINESS.
8. THE OMENS HOWEVER ARE NONE TOO GOOD. UNTIL A FEW MONTHS AGO AJC LOOKED TO BE THE FRONT RUNNERS FOR THE BRIDGES, AND MANY HERE BELIEVED THAT BECAUSE OF POLITICAL AS WELL AS COMMERCIAL CONSIDERATIONS THEY WOULD GET THAT CONTRACT. A VERY SENIOR VISITING DIRECTOR FROM BECHTEL (THE PROJECT MANAGERS) HAS TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD THOUGHT THAT ONE OF THEIR TASKS WAS TO DELIVER THAT CONTRACT TO AJC. HE WENT ON TO SAY HOWEVER THAT THIS WAS NOW
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