Projects of such scale require high-quality preparation work to ensure that project benefits the municipality and at the same time raises interest among potential contractors (private partners). The role of technical, legal and financial experts: ensuring compliance with international project standards, including preparation of tender documents and promotion of project on international markets.
Technical experts: „Faber Maunsell”
http://www.fabermaunsell.com/
Task: Ensure high engineering standards in elaboration of sketch designs and tender documents; representing Riga city in tender and contract negotiations.
International experience: Rion-Antirion suspended bridge (Greece) – external engineering expertise for 2.25 km long suspended bridge over the Corinthian Bay; Forta River crossing (Scotland) – main consultant for Forta River crossing (included drilling and sinking of tunnel, analysis of cable and suspended bridge options, engineering consultant for the expansion of the existing bridge); D8 motorway (the Czech Republic) – external engineering consultant for 32 km long motorway;
A1 (M) Dishfort – Darrington motorway (UK) designing of the new motorway, etc.
"Faber Maunsell" became technical consultants in the Northern Corridor project after an open tender. The company was awarded the right to develop the PPP scheme for the project. Faber Maunsell is a daughter company of consultancy company AECOM, one of the global leaders with 30 branches employing more than 3,000 employees for the company’s UK and European offices; and its turnover exceeds GBP 160 million. Each year the company implements over 5,000 projects in the field of construction engineering, transport and environment infrastructure engineering (incl. designing, forecasting, financial modelling, strategic planning, resource optimisation and management, PPP schemes, etc.). Baltic partner (also in Latvia) of Faber Maunsell is „NK konsultāciju birojs” that specialises in strategic, spatial planning of transport infrastructure and environment management.
Financial expert „PricewaterhouseCoopers” SIA
http://www.pwc.com/
Task: Provide financial advice on appropriate financing model for the project, analysing options for a combined EU, private, state and municipal financing scheme. The company also represents financial interests of Riga city in tender and contract negotiations.
International experience (projects/costs): Construction of M25 motorway/around 2 billion lats (UK); Construction of New Tyne Crossing/over 150 million lats (UK); Port Mann motorway/around 1.5 billion lats (Canada); E18-Lohia motorway (Finland)/235 million lats, E18 motorway/287 million lats (Norway), A1 and A2 motorway/2.5 billion lats (Poland).
PwC is an international company working in 150 countries and provides audit opinion services in tax, finance and business sectors. PricewaterhouseCoopers Latvia was established in 1993 and employs around 120 people, including certified auditors and other specialists with ACCA, CFA, CISA and CIA certificates. These are BSA, BAS, tax, IT and other specialists in business consulting.
Legal expert „Lovells LLP”
http://www.lovells.com/
Law Office „Sorainen and partners"
www.sorainen.com
Task: provide legal advice and support in preparation of the project, selection of private partners and contract negotiations; prepare tender documents, including draft PPP agreement for construction and maintenance of the NTC.
International experience: N6 Galway – Ballinasloe toll road (Ireland) – legal advice to the contractor on project funding worth EUR 400 million;
Ostregion Packet 1 motorway project (Austria) – advice to the investor on PPP project worth EUR 1 billion;
Trakia Motorway AD (Bulgaria) – legal advice to project company and bidders’ consortium on EUR 1 billion project;
A41 toll road (France) – legal advice to project company on EUR 877 million worth project. Lovells is an international law company with 26 offices in 19 countries. Company’s core business is legal advice in business matters. Clients of the company include private businesses, among other also world-known business corporations and financial institutions, and public sector – state and municipal clients. The company has acquired extensive international experience in the field of legal services and consultancy for PPP projects.
Lovells work in Latvia through their associates – Sorainen Law Office. Such cooperation allows applying Lovells experience with knowledge of local legislation.