The government has launched a public tender for constructing the superstructure of its ongoing project of converting the Old Courthouse and the adjacent former Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters in the city centre into the Court of Final Appeal (TUI), according to an announcement published in the Official Gazette (BO) on Wednesday.
The project, which started in October last year, is being carried out in two phases, namely pile foundation and basement work in the first phase and superstructure work in the second phase.
The project will keep the whole structure of the Old Courthouse intact.
While the ongoing project will keep a part of the façade of the former PJ headquarters intact, the remaining part has already been demolished by the building contractor of the project’s first phase for the construction of a new building.
The project’s first phase is currently being carried out by Soi Kun Engineering Company Limited, which is owned by former lawmaker Mak Soi Kun, for a price tag of 55.9 million patacas.
According to Wednesday’s announcement, potential bidders are required to submit their quotations for the superstructure work by September 6. The Public Works Bureau (DSOP) will unseal the submitted bids the next day.
The winner will be required to complete the superstructure within 600 working days, according to the announcement.
The government did not launch a public tender for the project’s first phase. Instead, it invited seven construction companies including Soi Kun Engineering, to bid for the project’s first phase. All seven companies submitted their respective bids, which were unsealed by DSOP officials in August last year, after which Soi Kun Engineering was chosen as the winning bidder, by offering the lowest price.
The project’s first phase is now scheduled to be completed in April next year, according to the DSOP website.
Currently, the Court of Final Appeal shares a building with the Court of Second Instance (TSI) in the Nam Van Lake district.
The public tender announced on Wednesday is for the project’s superstructure.
According to the DSOP website, the whole area consisting of the Old Courthouse and the former PJ headquarters earmarked for the future Court of Final Appeal building covers 3,524 square metres.
According to the website, the project will keep the whole structure of the Old Courthouse intact, while it will also consolidate its structure. In addition, the project will include the renovation of the interior of the Old Courthouse, including the reorganisation of its internal layout.
In the ongoing project, the façade of the former PJ headquarters on Rua do Padre Luís Fróis S.J., and its east-section façade on Rua Central, will be kept intact, while the remaining part of the former PJ headquarters has already been demolished by the project’s first phase for the construction of a new building that will have three storeys plus a one-floor basement.
The ongoing first phase of the Court of Final Appeal complex project is carrying out the new building’s pile foundation work and its basement.
This artist’s rendition available on the Public Works Bureau’s (DSOP) website shows the design of the façade of the future Court of Final Appeal (TUI) complex on Rua Central.
