Consortium Duo2, a cooperation between Strukton, Ballast Nedam, John Laing Infrastructure, ISS, YNNO, Lodewijk Baljon garden and landscape architects and UN Studio, has been selected as one of the five bidders for the dialogue phase of European tender PPP Project Housing IBG and Tax Office.

This project comprises the housing of a new, joint office for the Informatie Beheer Groep (Dutch authority which is responsible for the payment of student grants) and the Regional Tax Office in Groningen. The 47,000 m2 building will be able to house approx. 2,500 employees. The assignment includes the realisation of substitution housing for both departments, as well as the demolition of existing facilities and the realisation of a 9,000 m2 city garden with pond. A pavilion with commercial functions may become part of the assignment. Underneath the garden feature, a parking garage housing 675 cars and 1,500 bicycles should be realised.

This is one of the first large development projects of the Government Buildings Agency that will be structured as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), governed by a Design, Build, Finance, Maintain and Operate (DBFMO) contract. The expectation is that total life cycle costs of the new facility will be less, since all services (design, built, maintain and facility management services) will be developed, optimised and carried out by a single party. The contract is expected to have a tenor of 20 years. However, during the dialogue phase the candidates will be consulted as to the possible advantages of a longer contract period, up to 30 years.

This PPP-project will be tendered in accordance with the competitive dialogue procurement framework. The objective of this approach is to allow the market parties to include innovative solutions in their submissions and to develop those further in a dialogue with the tender authority.

In the coming round the 5 selected parties will submit a concept plan, after which 3 parties will be selected to proceed to the dialogue stage. According to the current time table, final tenders will be submitted in December 2007, with preferred bidder selection expected in February 2008. The concession will be granted to the party presenting the economically and qualitatively most favourable submission.