Deal signed for Padma bridge consultancy:Daily Star

The government yesterday entered a Tk 383.15 crore deal with a joint venture of six companies for the supervision consultancy job of the Padma bridge project. Under the four-year deal, the joint venture, led by Korean Expressway Corporation, will supervise the construction of the main bridge and river training works. Shafiqul Islam, project director of the Padma bridge project, and Cho Nam-Min, te
am leader of the joint venture, signed the agreement at the Setu Bhaban. Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, Korean Ambassador in Dhaka Lee Yun-young and the chairman of the technical evaluation committee were present. Later, Quader announced that a Tk 8,778 crore deal for the river training job will be inked on November 10. River training is the second largest component of the Tk 23,142 crore project. The Cabinet Committee on Purchase on October 13 awarded the supervision consultancy job to Korea Expressway Corporation and its partners Pyunghwa Engineering Consultants Ltd, Korean Engineering Consultants Corporation, Sunjin Engineering and Architecture Co, ACE Consultants Ltd (Bangladesh), and DevConsultants Ltd (Bangladesh). The joint venture was picked from a shortlist of four companies as it got the highest score in technical evaluation, according to the Bridges Division. World Bank in 2012 cancelled its $1.2 billion credit for the project over allegations of a corruption conspiracy involving Canadian company SNC Lavalin in appointing the supervision consultant. Advertisement Later, the government decided to construct the 6.15-kilometre rail-road bridge with its own fund. As per the initial plan, one supervision consultant would do the job for the whole project. But now the work has been split into two parts and accordingly, two consultants have been appointed. Bangladesh Army last year was awarded the job of supervising the Jazira and Mawa approach roads and the service area with the assistance of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet). The costs of the approach roads, service area and the supervision work will amount to Tk 1,642 crore, of which the army will receive around Tk 206 crore. China Major Bridge Engineering Construction Company in June got the main bridge construction work for Tk 12,133 crore. It will build the bridge in four years. The Bridges Division has paid the company 15 percent of the amount as mobilisation advance. The bidder has already started the preparatory work. Another Chinese firm Sinohydro Corporation Ltd has bagged the Tk 8,778 crore river training job. Though the Padma bridge project expenses had been estimated initially at Tk 20,507 crore, the costs now have gone up to Tk 23,142 crore, said Bridges Division officials. If the costs of land acquisition, resettlement of the displaced people and others are considered, the total expenses would be over Tk 25,000 crore.