Median bidding price for new Parliament complex set at Bt12-bn

The median price of the new Parliament's construction has been set at Bt12 billion, the House committee on parliamentary affairs' spokes Democrat MP Boonyod Sukthinthai said yesterday.

The median price for the bidding has been set at Bt12.287 billion to be exact.

The government has expropriated land from the Army and Yothin Burana School in Nonthaburi's Kiakkai area for the new Parliament. With the cost of land expropriation and advisory fees, the overall cost of the project should be around Bt23.5 billion, Boonyod said.

He said that if the bidding was completed and construction contract signed by March 28, the new Parliament complex should be ready in 900 days.

Boonyod was speaking to the press after the House panel invited concerned government agencies to inform the panel of the progress of the project.

He said the process of the project had reached to the point of a supervisor being selected. He said two groups - ATTA Consortium and SIFG advisory group - have submitted applications to the House Secretariat for the job.

Boonyod said the House Secretariat was in the process of clarifying questions from four bidders - Powerline Engineering, Italian Thai Development, Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction, and Syntax Construction.

He said the bidders had until February 20 to submit their bidding price and the bidding committee will select the winner on March 6. However, Boonyod said he had told the House Secretariat that the 11-day period before selection may be too long.

Boonyod said the House panel was also informed that the construction of new homes for Army officers, who would be moved from Kiakkai to Saphan Daeng area, would be delayed by four months.

He said the original contractor, PCC Development and Construction, was not able to complete construction of the houses due to the 2011 flood crisis. Since only 60-per-cent of the construction has been completed, the contract with PCC has been terminated and a new contractor will be selected.