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MDHIAN 1537
ARE HEADED BY LARGE BRITISH CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES, ONE BY COSTAIN AND ONE BY BALFOUR BEATTY. BOTH ARE MAKING A MAJOR EFFORT AND ARE PLAYING THEIR CARDS SKILFULLY. AGAIN THE BRITISH CONTESTANTS WILL NEED EVERY SUPPORT AT MINISTERIAL AND OFFICIAL LEVEL IN THESE COMING WEEKS. THE NEWLY APPOINTED CHAIRMAN OF BALFOUR BEATTY, SIR ROBERT DAVIDSON, WILL BE IN HONG KONG WITH A STRONG TEAM IN DAYS IMMEDIATELY BEFORE LORD CAITHNESS. IT WILL BE TIMELY FOR LORD CAITHNESS TO SUPPORT THEIR CAUSE AS WELL AS THAT
OF THE COSTAIN LED GROUP.
6.
DUE FOR DECISION AT ANY MOMENT, AND POSSIBLY DURING LORD CAITHNESS'S VISIT, IS THE CONTRACT FOR THE DESIGN OF THE AIRPORT TERMINAL, WORTH ABOUT POUNDS 50 MILLION TO POUNDS 60 MILLION. THE SHORT LIST APPEARS TO BE REDUCED TO THREE, ONE OF WHICH IS PARTIALLY BRITISH, AND ANOTHER OF WHICH, LED BY BAA AND NORMAN FOSTER, IS LARGELY SO. ALTHOUGH DWARFED BY THE BRIDGE AND THE PLATFORM CONTRACTS, THIS WILL BE A VERY BIG ONE INDEED FOR THE BRITISH COMPANIES CONCERNED.
7. A RAFT OF OTHER HUGE AIRPORT RELATED CONTRACTS WILL COME ALONG SHORTLY BEHIND THESE. GROUPS ARE FORMING FOR THE NEW ROAD AND RAIL TUNNELS UNDER THE HONG KONG HARBOUR THAT WILL BE REQUIRED FOR THE AIRPORT TRANSPORTATION LINKS. BRITISH FIRMS WITH THEIR HATS IN THIS RING INCLUDE COSTAIN, TARMAC, WIMPEY AND BALFOUR BEATTY. THREE DIFFERENT CONTRACTS FOR THE ROAD LINK (THE NORTH LANTAU EXPRESSWAY) BETWEEN THE AIRPORT AND THE BRIDGE WILL ALSO BE SHORT-LISTED OR LET DURING THE YEAR. BIDS WILL BE IN SHORTLY FOR THE FIRST, AND AMEC ARE A MAJOR BRITISH CONTENT. BIDS ARE OPENING IN JUNE FOR THE SECOND BRIDGE. THIS IS OVER SHADOWED BY THE LARGER BRIDGE BUT IT WILL BE BIGGER THAN THE DARTFORD BRIDGE. TRAFALGAR HOUSE AND COSTAIN WILL BE AFTER THAT ONE TOO. A WIDE RANGE OF OTHER PROJECTS FOLLOW. SEVENTY-TWO FURTHER SIGNIFICANT CONTRACTS ARE TO COME FOR EXAMPLE ON THE MAIN PLATFORM AS IT TAKES SHAPE).
8.
THE U.K. HAS NOT DONE VERY WELL OUT OF THIS AIRPORT PROJECT SO FAR. OF THE FIVE MAJOR WORKS CONTRACTS AWARDED (THREE FOR RECLAMATION IN WEST KOWLOON, ONE FOR ADVANCED WORKS ON CHEP LAP KOK ISLAND, THE SITE OF THE AIRPORT, AND AN EXTENSION TO THIS LATTER CONTRACT) THREE HAVE GONE TO KUMAGAI (JAPAN), ONE TO A WHOLLY LOCAL FIRM, SHIU ON, AND ONLY IN ONE IS THERE A BRITISH INTEREST, WHERE SUCCESS WAS ACHIEVED BY GAMMON, A LOCAL CONSTRUCTION FIRM 50 PER CENT OWNED BY JARDINES AND 50 PER CENT OWNED BY TRAFALGAR HOUSE. THE OVERALL PROJECT MANAGERS ARE
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