The cabinet committee on public purchase has approved the proposal made by the Foreign Ministry for awarding work to Japanese firm Muramoto Corporation to construct a chancery complex in Tokyo.
The approval was given at a meeting of the cabinet committee held at cabinet division yesterday with Finance Minister AMA Muhith in the chair.
After the meeting, Joint Secretary of Cabinet Division Mustafizur Rahman told reporters that Muramoto Corporation would construct the chancery complex at a cost of Tk91.44 crore.
According to the proposal, if the project could be launched four years ago, the complex would have cost the government Tk77.78 crore.
The chancery is a building houses and offices for an official representatives of any foreign country.
The proposal, signed by Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque, says Bangladesh cannot not delay the construction of the complex any longer because Japan is going to host the Olympic Games in 2020. “So, all construction firms of that country will be busy with improving the infrastructures for the mega sporting event.”
The delay was a result of a bureaucratic tangle that originated from a confusion over which law to follow in implementing the project. It eventually led to the cancellation of the first tender.
The Bangladesh government – the cabinet committee on public purchase to be specific – wanted to follow its own Public Procurement Act 2006, but Japanese contractors wanted to follow the laws of their country.
The cabinet committee on public purchase also approved the proposal made by the Industries Ministry for importing 3.40 hundred thousand tonnes of fertilisers at a cost of Tk1,057 crore.
Besides, it approved power division’s proposal for repairing two units of 210MW power plant at a cost of Tk99.87 crore.
Max-Renken JV, a Chinese construction firm, got the contract to build 5.2km Muradpur-Lalkhan Bazar Road in the port city at a cost of Tk454.67 crore.
