Samoa Land Corporation (S.L.C.) has announced the approval of a project manager to oversee the construction of the multimillion-tala Savalalo Flea Market Project.

The project partners, the S.L.C. on behalf of the Samoa Government, and Tinai Gordon & Associates Limited (T.G.A. Ltd) signed the contract for the engagement of a project manager last Wednesday. The S.L.C. is the procuring entity while T.G.A. Ltd submitted the winning bid to undertake the work. The two entities were represented by Leiataua Tom Tinai, Director for T.G.A. Ltd, and Matafeo George Latu, Chairman of the S.L.C. Board at the signing. 

In a media release issued on Tuesday, the S.L.C. said the overall objective for the project manager’s scope of service is to manage and oversee the whole spectrum of the Savalalo project from the pre-tendering, procurement, detail design, and construction stages leading to the successful completion of the new facility.

"There were five bidders tendered for the project manager’s position and following the assessment of their bids Cabinet approved the awarding of the contract to T.G.A. Ltd with the winning bidding price of SAT$1,118,087.50 including VAGST and subject to withholding tax," reads the statement.

"The tender documents for the final stage of the construction of the new flea market building will be finalized in a few weeks’ time and the tender invitation notice should be publicly advertised next month June 2023. The timeline for the whole work is estimated to be more than 12 months."

The S.L.C. says that T.G.A. Ltd has over 30 years of experience as a project manager for bigger projects of the same magnitude with the Savalalo new market, having been engaged previously as the structural, civil, and designing engineers for large and iconic buildings in the proximity of the Apia Central Business District. 

"T.G.A. Ltd has also recorded relatively good experiences on resilient and climate change-related infrastructure mainly in stormwater and wastewater drainages.  

"It is one of the longest serving engineering consulting firms in Samoa and registered as civil and structural engineers with IPES, Australia, and USA."

The Savalalo New Flea Market Project is being funded by the New Zealand Government with a NZD$12 million (SAT$20.3 million) funding contribution with SAT$10 million coming from the Samoa Government through the S.L.C for a total project cost of SAT$30 million.