The Cook Islands Investment Corporation (CIIC) is pleased to announce that construction of the new Te Tautua Medical Centre in Tongareva is set to commence next month in May 22.
This important project will remedy current inadequacies in the health infrastructure for Te Tautua village, and provide effective baseline health services to all residents.
Delivery of the medical centre project is through the combined efforts of CIIC, Infrastructure Cook Islands (ICI) and the Tongareva Island Government, with expert input from health ministry Te Marae Ora (TMO).
Secretary of Health Bob Williams said he was “pleased that CIIC and ICI is undertaking this project, so that health services are available to all people including very remote communities like Te Tautua.”
A Request For Tender (RFT) to construct the medical centre was issued by ICI last year in March 2021 and tenders were received in April. These tenders were then assessed, but for a number of reasons – including land tenure issues and resourcing constraints – procurement was halted.
Later, in September 2021, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was entered into between CIIC and ICI, outlining the various roles and responsibilities for the project.
It was agreed that funding for the medical centre construction would come from ICI, as part of their 2021/22 capital programme, while CIIC would be responsible for project management, with technical assistance from ICI.
The need for CIIC to work closely with the Tongareva Island Government and TMO in delivering this project is a critical part of the MoU, and accordingly a flight was chartered to Tongareva in October 2021 to lay the groundwork for project commencement, as well as to address other matters.
In January 2022 the tender process was then recommenced, with CIIC and ICI re-engaging with the parties whom originally tendered by way of a closed tender.
Following this closed tender process, in April 2022 the contract to construct Te Tautua Medical Centre was awarded to Landholdings Ltd with a contract sum of $1.5 million and an expected completion date of September 2022.
A key feature of the RFT, proposal and contract is the requirement of Landholdings to use the local Tongareva and Te Tautua workforce. Landholdings will be working with the Tongareva Island Government to achieve this.
