Next steps in the delivery of Government office accommodation in Gungahlin and Civic

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The ACT Government will market test the delivery of new office accommodation in Gungahlin and Civic.

The Government’s immediate priority is the delivery of the Gungahlin project. We will shortly invite organisations to register their interest in designing and building the office block proposed for Gungahlin as well as the one proposed for the city to the specifications already established by our consulting team.

After exploring a range of financing and ownership options for new accommodation, our consultants have advised the most cost effective way to do this is for the Government to own and build the city office block. I want this advice tested in the market place.

The ACT Property Council has stated very strongly that their members can meet the Government’s accommodation needs in Gungahlin and Civic in a cost effective manner by building and owning the properties which the ACT Government would rent for a period of 25 years.

Given the importance I place on getting the best value for money for the people of the ACT I want to give the property industry the opportunity to deliver.

The Government will make its final decision based on the best overall value to the ACT taxpayer including build cost, environmental performance, occupational health and safety for staff, running costs, efficiencies to be gained from having key public servants in the same location, as well as Labor’s commitment that a minimum of 10 percent of workers on the project will be apprentices, trainees and indigenous people.