The New Yangon City Development Company has hired German consultant Roland Berger to manage the procurement process for a $1.5bn urban quarter to be built on the west side of the Yangon River.
The 8,100ha industrial-commercial zone was to have been built as a single project by China Communications Construction Company (CCCC).
However, after criticism of the lack of competition and transparency in the awarding of the deal, the Myanmar government has split the scheme into smaller projects and opened them to a more competitive "Swiss challenge" bid system.
This lets a public authority accept a bid while inviting other bidders to come forward. If a challenge succeeds, the winning company reimburses the original bidder’s costs.
Phases one and two of the planned new city (NYDC)
Munich-based Roland Berger will manage the compartmentalisation of the new zone, and will also run any Swiss challenges that emerge.
The first phase will comprise a 3-sq-km industrial zone and a bridge to connect New Yangon with the old city across the river.
There will also be a 9-sq-km residential area and resettlement zones for those displaced by the scheme. The cost of this phase is thought to be about $800m.
It was announced in July that three international consultants were in the running for the contract to manage the scheme.
Top image: Yangon is concentrated in the fork of the rivers Yangon and Bago (Nasa/Public Domain)
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