CAPITAL MASTER PLAN: ENGAGEMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL, ENGINEERING FIRMS

CAPITAL MASTER PLAN:  ENGAGEMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL, ENGINEERING FIRMS

In December 2000, the General Assembly approved the preliminary phase of the Capital Master Plan for the renovation of the United Nations Headquarters in New York.  The preliminary phase includes the preparation of a detailed design plan and cost analysis for the Capital Master Plan.  Through a competitive bidding process, the United Nations has retained the architecture firm of Renato Sarno from Milan, Italy, to head the design team for the proposed renovation.  The selected team includes Syska & Hennessy (USA), headquartered in New York, who will provide mechanical and electrical engineering services, and Turner Construction (USA) who will provide logistical, estimating and cost-control services.  The contract with Renato Sarno will be the first in a series of contracts, including those for construction, related to the Capital Master Plan.

A request for expression of interest in providing the services required by the United Nations was issued in early 2001.  Responses were received from

37 firms from 10 countries.  After a site visit and an initial technical review, detailed proposals from 15 firms from five countries were received for evaluation by the United Nations.  The full technical review of these proposals resulted in six highly qualified finalists from 3 countries.  The final selection was made based on the lowest of the price proposals of the six finalists for the services requested by the United Nations. 

The United Nations believes that the selected team provides the right balance of competence and creativity combined with previous experience with historically sensitive facilities that must remain operational throughout the renovation process.

The team will prepare design alternatives and costs, which will form the basis for the Secretary General’s proposal to the General Assembly in 2002. 

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