Companies

Six foreign firms to compete for Konza contract

Kenya has shortlisted six firms for planning and management of the Sh10 billion Konza Technology City’s infrastructure phase in what is shaping up to be a battle between European and American companies.

The six companies, whose names will be made public in the next two weeks, are among 22 firms that expressed interest in the tender.

The Business Daily could only obtain five names in the shortlist from sources involved in the procurement process.

They are AECOM International Development of Finland, Swedish Sweco International, Dohwa Consulting Engineers from Korea and HR & A Advisors and SHoP Architects, both based in New York.

Paul Kukubo, the chief executive officer of the Kenya ICT Board, had said in an interview that the names could not be made public since they are yet to be presented before an inter-ministerial committee that oversees the project on behalf of the government.

“The short list has been completed and we received positive responses from companies across different continents which shows that firms are eager to take up the project,” said Mr Kukubo.

“But the names of the firms will only be made public after they have been presented to the Inter Ministerial Committee.”

He said the winner’s core work will be to come up with a detailed business plan and a partnership document of how the interested investors and the government will relate.

The winning firm will sign a contract for five years with the government and is expected to come up with the plan in the first six months and thereafter attract and manage the development at the site for four-and-a- half years.

The complete technopolis is expected to cost Sh800 billion. The project’s development will be over 20 years.

The construction of the technopolis is based on a model where the government offers land, legal backing and architectural plans to investors to build business process outsourcing (BPO) ventures, a science park, shopping malls, hotels, international schools and health facilities.

The 22 firms mainly from Europe, Asia and Africa included BioRegional Development Group, Capita Symonds, Crowie Holdings, Feedback Infrastructure Services, and GIBB Africa.

Others were IDOM, Jones Lang LaSalle MENA, Limitless LLC, Lloyd Masika, Mentor Management, and Millenium Development, PKF Kenya, Sasaki Associates, Seven Degrees North Ltd, Shapira & Hellerman Planners (Halufa Group), Voyants Solutions Private, WS Atkins International.

The winning firm will be answerable to a public site development authority, the Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KTDA), which is also in the process of being established by the government to oversee the planning, infrastructure development and land allocation on the site.

Due to the scale and complexity of the project, the KTDA requires complementary support in development planning and management services.

An initial conceptual master plan envisions a BPO/ITES park, university and science parks, research and development and other central business district enterprises such as banks, government administration and professional services on the 5,000 acres.

The Konza Technology Park is marked as a Special Economic Zone regime (SEZ) to enhance competitiveness by providing incentives, streamlined business establishment procedures and pre-determined approvals for development.

Konza Authority

The government has zoned part of Malili, Machakos and Olkejuado counties, estimated to be 52,664.73 hectares, to protect it from encroachers.

The ground breaking for the project was supposed to take place last April and the Information ministry says the delay was caused by the need to re-plan the areas where the park is sitting. A legal notice creating the Konza Authority also took longer than necessary.

The planning is expected to be wrapped up within six months— in time for the launch of the project in the second half of the year—by which time the promoters of the technopolis believe the country will have concluded the process of establishing a Land Commission.

The government has frozen the sale and transfer of public land—which the ICT Park is hinged on—until the commission is set up,

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