The request for proposals to develop the unfinished highways at Foreshore Freeway Precinct was terminated on 18 July 2018 by the City of Cape Town.
Upon receiving legal advice, the City Manager has made the decision to cancel the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the development of the area. The six bidders were notified of the decision in writing on Friday, 13 July 2018.
The unfinished highways have formed part of the central and eastern Foreshore Freeway Precinct in Cape Town for nearly five decades.
In the midst of the horrific traffic congestion Cape Town experiences today, the City advertised for a private partner in 2016 to assist in unlocking the potential of the unfinished road project to alleviate this problem.
In 2017, the City accepted six proposals from the private sector to develop the unfinished highways. Each proposal consisted of digital animation illustrating the visual component of the proposal, with panels of wording explaining the proposal in more detail, as well as maps of the proposed realignment of the entrance and exit routes in and from Cape Town CBD and the Foreshore Freeway Precinct.
The Stage 1 bid evaluation process was concluded in February 2018.
Several appeals and objections were lodged and contested the application of the evaluation criteria as set out in the RFP documentation. The City, however, concluded that a lack of sufficient clarity in the RFP documentation rendered the evaluation criteria vague.
“Procurement processes must be compliant with the rule of law, in particular with Section 217 of the Constitution which governs public procurement. There must be no doubt about the integrity of these processes and, as such, I have decided to cancel the RFP,” said Mr Lungelo Mbandazayo, the City Manager.
“Furthermore, the economic outlook for the country has become significantly weaker since the issuing of the RFP two years ago. This change, together with the additional burdens that the City, its ratepayers, and residents are facing at the moment, cannot be ignored. The City is, therefore, reconsidering the future of this project, and we will communicate further once a decision has been made.”
“In the meantime, I want to express my sincere gratitude to all of the bidders who submitted proposals and representations,” he said.
Picture: Twitter