Tenders for the construction of the new integrated secretariat complex are likely to be issued sometime next week.
The Roads and Buildings Department is preparing estimates for the integrated secretariat complex planned with seven floors (G+6) with built up area of around seven lakh square feet. The finer details of provisions that should be incorporated in the bid documents are being worked out and the process is likely to take two more days to complete.
"We will call for the tenders next week once the final bid document is ready," a senior official engaged in the process told The Hindu. The development follows completion of dismantling of the old Secretariat complex a couple of days ago and shifting of the debris from the site is underway.
Demolition of the old complex resulted in debris of more than one lakh tonne, including few thousand tonnes of iron. More than 80% of the debris has already been removed from the premises and shifting of the remaining material is likely to be completed in two to three days.
The government has decided to call for all India tenders with two-week time for the interested firms to submit their bids. Given the magnitude of the project involving few hundreds of crores, officials feel that only reputed firms with expertise are likely to bid for the project. The development comes at a time when the architects, Chennai-based Oscar and Ponni Architects, are holding discussions with senior police officials and related departments over the blue print for security and surveillance in the new complex.
Asked whether the tenders would be called after the exercise is completed, the official said: "Adequate care has been taken about these aspects while finalising the design of the new complex. Whatever the other changes, they will be internal arrangements which can be made any time and will not be concerned with the tender process," the official said.
