The Urban Development Corporation (UDC) on Monday (November 1), officially open preliminary tenders for the construction of the new Houses of Parliament to be built at the National Heroes Circle in Kingston.

The tender is open to both domestic and international bidders, with documents being downloadable on the Government of Jamaica’s eProcurement (GOJEP) System as of Monday. Thereafter, bidders have until Wednesday, December 1 to successfully upload their applications.

The UDC, in a statement, said the invitation to “suitably qualified firms” for tenders is in accordance with the Public Procurement Act (2015) and the Public Procurement Regulations (2018). 

Prequalification will be conducted via international competitive bidding (ICB) utilising the GOJEP portal (www.gojep.gov.jm). 

“The prequalification may be followed by a request for proposals or invitation to bid where only prequalified firms will be invited by UDC to submit offers for the construction of the Houses of Parliament Building at the National Heroes Park, Kingston, Jamaica,” the UDC indicated.

Main features within the new park design include the ‘Shrine and Patriot Circle’, a public plaza and pavilion, a water-wall/fountain feature, underground water storage and a substantial addition of local tree varieties. 

A functional plant nursery for maintaining the park is also included in the project, as well as public toilets, a new perimeter fence and renovations to the existing fence, army barracks and the enhancement of the ‘Shrine and Patriots’ areas along with security features throughout the park.

While an initial timeline for the project was not immediately disclosed, the construction work, according to the UDC, may include but is not limited to: 

• Construction of the new Houses of Parliament building located on an 11.2-acre site within the park,
• Upgrading of the historic public urban park,
• Construction of support buildings, infrastructure upgrades and the redevelopment and landscaping of the National Heroes Park (NHP).

Domestic bidders are required to submit a valid Certificate of Registration with the Public Procurement Commission in the categories of: Building Construction and/or Civil Engineering Works; Grade as well as an up-to-date Tax Compliance Certificate (TCC) along with their application.

In addition to their online-only application, international bidders must also submit proof of tax compliance in their country of residence.

“The UDC will respond to any request for clarification received by Monday, November 22, 2021. Bidders are required to upload all requests for clarifications in the GOJEP Portal,” the government agency noted.

“Applications must be submitted online via www.gojep.gov.jm by Wednesday, December 1, 2021, at 2:00 pm (Jamaica time). Late applications will be automatically rejected by the system,” the UDC advised.

Reiterating that applications will only be made available and accepted via the GOJEP website, the UDC stressed that no offline (hardcopy) bids will be admitted as there is no physical box for the drop-off of applications. 

Bidders are required to upload all requests for clarifications in the GOJEP portal.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, in his contribution to the 2021/22 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives back in March, said construction of the new Parliament building is expected to start early in the next financial year. 

At the time, Holness said that the detailed designs and drawings for the structure are complete and building approvals have been granted by the various authorities.

“The project is now going through the public investment process, after which we expect to enter the procurement phase and then after that is the construction phase,” Holness indicated.

At the culmination of the UDC’s design competition in April 2019, Holness described the new Houses of Parliament—and its US$50 million price tag—as the most significant structure to be built in the history of Jamaica, occupying a place of prominence at Kingston’s National Heroes Park.

The new Parliamentary building, themed ‘Out Of Many One People’, was designed by a team led by local architect Evan Williams of Design Collaborative, beating 23 other groups in the process.