PAVING TENDERS

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 55, 13 September 1928, Page 13

PAVING TENDERS

« ■ ANNOUNCEMENT SHORTLY ALL CONTRACT IN" FUTURE? In connection with the tenders for the paving of the stretch of four and a- quarter miles of road from Johnsonville to Tawa Flat, which were considered by the City and Suburban Highways Board yesterday, it was decided that no publicity should be given at the moment, as there are three parties concerned, tho local Highways Board, the Main Highways Board, and the Wellington City Council, as the constructing body. It is, however, quite likely that the consent of the three parties will bo given to the acceptance of the lowest tender beforo the day is cut, a tender for bituminous concrete construction, which is roughly 40 per cent, below the most favourable cement concrete figure. If this is so an interesting position will be opened up. Up to tho present all the local board's work has been carried out by the board, through tho City Council, for when the council's tender for the original work, the surfacing of the Hutt road, was so far below outside tenders received it was accopted that that position would continue, and consequently no further tenders wore called for. Curiously enough, the calling oi! alter T native tenders for the Makara length, bitumen or concrete, aroso through a confusion, for the board itself is divided in opinion as to whether instructions were ever given that alternative tenders should be called, or whether the officers were merely instructed to report upon tho advisability of calling tenders. At any rate, tenders were called. If an outside tender is accopted in this instance it follows that tenders will be called for the surfacing of other lengths on the board's programme, tho length through the Ngahauranga Gorge, for instance, of one and three-quarter miles, and if an outside tender is received at a lower figure than that of the city engineer, such will be accepted. This does not mean that the board's plants would stand idle, for outside contractors would use those plants, paying a rental, which in the terms and specifications for the Makara length is set down at £500 per month.