The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) has launched public tenders for the lease and operation of 10 stalls at the food court in the Patane wet market, as well as the lease and operation of five stalls selling various goods such as cooked food, pre-packed frozen aquatic products, and groceries at the Horta da Mitra wet market.
The Horta da Mitra wet market, which is located near Rua do Campo, is being renovated. The renovation, which started early this year and is now scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, includes the installation of various new facilities such as an air-conditioning system.
Before the ongoing renovation, there were 13 stalls selling fresh food in the Horta da Mitra wet market. After the renovation, there will be 18 stalls, 13 of which will continue to sell fresh food, while the other five will be used for selling various other goods, the public tenders of which have been launched.
The ground, first and second floors of the high-rise Patane Market Municipal Complex, which opened in March 2018, are used as a wet market. The bureau is currently carrying out the renovation of the building’s second floor, a part of which had been used as a food court since the wet market started operating in 2018. After the renovation, which is now slated to be completed before the end of this year, the whole second floor will be used as a food court.
Other floors of the Patane Market Municipal Complex are used as a carpark, an activity centre and office spaces.
In addition to the Patane wet market, three of the city’s nine wet markets has a food court each.
The bureau made the announcement about the public tenders for the 15 stalls in a statement on Wednesday. Potential bidders are required to submit their tenders by November 16.
The new law regulating the operation of the city’s wet markets took effect on January 1 last year, according to which the lease and operation of stalls must be granted by public tenders except in special circumstances, a change from the previous practice in which available stalls were simply allocated through lucky draws.
The new law aims to ensure that available wet market stalls are allocated to those who are really dedicated to running their business.
The bidding process announced on Wednesday is the first to be held since the new law took effect.
According to the new law, the proposed rent is not a factor in the government’s assessments of bids for operating wet market stalls. Instead, the government assesses submitted bids based on five main criteria, namely the potential bidders’ proposed operation and marketing plan, their experience in running wet market stalls, their proposed operating hours, the level of diversity in their goods, and the availability of various payment methods that shoppers can choose.
The bureau also published details of the tenders for the 15 stalls in an announcement in the Official Gazette (BO) on Wednesday.
Monthly rent
According to Wednesday’s gazette, the monthly rent for the five available stalls up for tender in the Horta da Mitra wet market will range between 1,376 patacas and 2,079 patacas.
The monthly rent for the 10 available stalls up for tender in the Patane wet market’s food court will range between 2,196 patacas and 5,670 patacas, according to the gazette.
According to Wednesday’s IAM statement, the 10 available stalls in the Patane wet market’s food court will provide various cuisines and specialty cooked food such as steamed and boiled food, stir-fried dishes, desserts, local Chinese cuisines, Southeast Asian cuisines, Japanese and Korean cuisines, and Western cuisines.
The 10 stalls must operate at least 10 hours a day.
According to the statement, the largest stall with the highest monthly rent of 5,670 patacas will sell Japanese sashimi and sushi, while smallest stall with the lowest monthly rent of 2,196 patacas will sell coffee, tea and other drinks.
According to the statement, the five available stalls up for tender in the Horta da Mitra wet market will sell pre-packed light meals and cooked food, pre-packed frozen and chilled aquatic products, global groceries, and spices. The five stalls must operate at least eight hours a day.
Bidders for the 15 stalls who propose longer operating hours a day will get a higher score in bid assessments, according to Wednesday’s gazette.
Pedestrians walk past the Horta da Mitra market, which is being renovated, yesterday.
– Photos: Tony Wong
This photo taken yesterday shows the Patane Market Municipal Complex.
