The Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) has launched a public tender for the granting of a 60-month lease to operate a Chinese restaurant on the first floor of the government’s newly-completed high-rise rental residential tower for senior citizens on Plot P in Areia Preta district, according to an announcement published in the Official Gazette (BO) yesterday.
According to the announcement, the area to be used for the Chinese restaurant will cover 3,019 square metres.
The building has a total of 1,815 studio-style units.
The Social Welfare Bureau is now assessing applications to rent a flat there after the first-phase application period ran until the end of last month. The first-phase application process, which started on November 6 last year, covered 759 flats. According to the latest IAS data, as of December 17 last year the bureau had received 1,406 applications since the application process started.
In general, permanent local residents aged 65 or over capable of taking care of themselves are eligible to apply for a flat there.
Construction of the rental residential building for seniors, which got off the ground in December 2020, was completed earlier this month.
The Social Welfare Bureau has said that it expects to complete its assessment of the submitted applications in the next quarter, after which successful applicants can expect to move into the flats in the fourth quarter.
The housing estate has four podium levels from the ground to third floors. The fully furnished and decorated studio flats are located between the 4th and 37th floors, with the 12th floor used as the tower’s refuge floor, according to the IAS website.
The estate, the first of its kind in the government’s housing programme, aims to help senior citizens living in low-rise walk-ups improve their living quality.
An area on the ground floor will be used for the operation of shops, while an area on the first floor will be used for a Chinese restaurant.
An area on the estate’s second floor will be used for clubhouse facilities, while an area on the third floor will be used for an outdoor podium garden.
According to yesterday’s announcement, potential bidders are required to submit their quotations by February 23. The bureau will unseal the submitted bids on February 26.
The public tender does not accept those who submit their bids as individual entrepreneurs, which means that only companies are accepted, according to the announcement.
The winner will be required to operate a Chinese restaurant in the area as the main business, with a “cha chaan teng” (traditional Hong Kong and Macau-style café) as the supplementary business, according to the announcement.
The restaurant will be required to be equipped with various types of smart devices and facilities.
The restaurant will have to offer breakfast, lunch, high tea, and dinner at a “reasonable” price, the announcement said.
Only companies currently operating a Chinese restaurant can submit their bids.
According to the announcement, the submitted bids will be assessed based on five criteria, namely the proposed amount of monthly rent accounting for 35 percent of the scores, the proposed operation plan for 20 percent, the proposed plan for an innovative operation for 20 percent, the bidders’ experience in operating restaurants for 20 percent, and the proposed corporate responsibility for five percent.
This handout photo downloaded from the Public Works Bureau’s (DSOP) website yesterday shows a lift lobby of the newly-completed rental housing estate for seniors on Plot P in Areia Preta district earlier this month.
