TNAG-0425-FCO40-471-Construction-of-an-underground-railway-system-in-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 144

CONFIDENTIAL

DRAFT TELEGRAM

CHRISTIAN

FOR ASTON FROM ROYCE (OPG)

6276

I HAVE SENT YOU BY

BAG, FOR ONWARD TRANSMISSION TO

CLAGUE, A LETTER FROM THE BRITISH CROUP ADDRESSED TO THE

STEERING COLLIITNEE A SIMILAR LETTER FROM THE ITALIAN

GROUP IS BEING SENT THROUGH THE ITALIAN CONCUL-GEN IRAL.

2. UNLESS YOU SEE ANY OBJECTION YOU CHOULD, AS SOCH AS

YOU DEM IT APPROPRIATE, SPEAK TO HADDEN-CAVE AND MAKE

THE FOLLOWING POINTS:-

a.

GOVERNMENT

WHILE THE UK REGNET THAT THERE IS TO BE NO ALL

BRITISH BID THEY WELCOME THE FORMATION OF THE ANGLO-

ITALIAN GROUP, WHOSE RESOURCES, EXPERIENCE AND PARTICULAR

STRENGTHS IN THE DIFFERENT FINDO COVERED BY THE SCHEE

ARE A WARRANT OF THE CROUP'S ABILITY TO WORK TO THE

HIGHEST STANDARDS.

D. THE COMBINED CROUP HAS HOT BEEN ABLE TO QUOTE A

PRICE BECAUSE SOME OF THE INFORMATION HEIDED TO ARRIVE AP

A DEFINITIVE FIGURE IS LACKING. BUT THEY HAVE MADE A

NUMBER OF ESTIMATES AND ARECONVINCED THAT EVEN ON

PESSIMISTIC ASSUMPTIONS OF SUCH UNCERTAINTIES AS COST

of the same orde

07 ESCALATION THEIR PRICE WILL BE FLY COMPETITIVA-7WN mas nitude as that of the Japanese bid, and that itw offer as a whole will be keenly competitive.

C. THE STEERING COMITTEE HAS VALIDATED THE JAPANESE

GROUP'S BID DESPITE THAT GROUP'S INSISTENCE ON HAVING

A HONG KONG COVERIMENT GUARANTEE AND IT IS TO BE HOPED

THAT THE COMMITTEE WILL BE AS FLEXIBLE IN ASSESSING

THE ANGLO-ITALIAN GROUP'S FROPOCALS AGAINST THE

COMMITTEE'S CRITERIA,

JURCING Y

འ- པ

1

i.