Ahmedabad-based firm HCP Design, Planning and Management Private Limited has won the contract for consultancy and designing of the Parliament building, common Central Secretariat building and the Central Vista — a three-kilometre stretch from India Gate to Rajpath.
The same architect firm designed BJP’s new headquarters in the national Capital, IIM campus in Ahmedabad, the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project, State Secretariat and Central Vista in Gandhinagar, and executed the redevelopment of temple complex in Varanasi.
Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has made it clear that the iconic buildings — President House (Rashtrapati Bhawan), South Block, North Block and the Parliament building will not be pulled down but will be redesigned.
The firm, which will be paid Rs 229.75 crore for consultancy services, much below the estimated Rs 448 crore, will prepare the master plan of the project, including designs, cost estimation, landscape and traffic integration plans, and parking facilities among others, of redevelopment of the Parliament building, common Central Secretariat and Central Vista. In other words, HCP Design is the project management consultant of the mega project.
“The final awarded price is 40 per cent below what we had expected,” Puri added.
The consulting cost is usually 3 to 5 per cent of the total cost of a project. But the Minister declined to give the figure for the entire redevelopment.
Puri said this construction is happening with a target to fulfil the needs of at least 250 years. “Facilities in Parliament House also need to be augmented to provide sufficient space to members of Parliament. This initiative for development and redevelopment of the Parliament building, Central Secretariat and the Central Vista will enable new India to keep pace with the journey into the future,” he said.
“To select a reputed consultant, a system of Quality Cum Cost Based System (QCBS) (80:20) has been adopted. As per the Request For Proposal, a pre-bid conference meeting was also held on September 12 where 24 bidders participated. The Technical Bids were opened on September 30, 2019. A total of six bids were received. After examining the initial eligibility and technical parameters, all bidders were asked to make their presentation on October 11 on Approach and Methodology before a jury consisting of reputed architects and landscape designers under the chairmanship of PSN Rao, director, School of Planning & Architecture (SPA), Delhi and chairman Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC),” Puri added.
Besides HCP Design, bids were also received from CP Kukreja Architects, Sikka Associates Architects, INI Design Studio, Arcop Associates Pvt Ltd and Hafeez Contractor. “The award was given on 18 October. The entity will now have extensive public consultations with all stakeholders. These will be done in the public domain. Those who have not been awarded, their ideas are also being taken on board,” Puri added.
