The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has started preparations to upgrade the Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad and add a new block ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit planned for August next year.
The civic agency has invited construction companies to submit pre-qualification proposals for the project. The deadline for submitting proposals has been set for October 9.
The project comes after delays in the planned New Islamabad Convention, Exhibition and Expo Centre (NICEEC) near Malpur. The CDA had earlier planned to develop the new facility to host major national and international events, but delays have shifted the focus toward expanding and modernising the existing Jinnah Convention Centre.
Under the new plan, facilities originally planned for NICEEC will be incorporated into the Jinnah Convention Centre. The CDA intends to expand the existing complex while also upgrading its current building to improve its capacity and facilities.
The authority had already completed the bidding process for the Malpur project and received a lowest bid of Rs37 billion. The contractor later offered a concession of Rs3 billion. However, the CDA could not start the project within the required timeframe, leading to the plan being dropped.
The new expansion project is now being considered as an alternative that can be completed within a shorter period. Officials are facing a tight deadline because the SCO summit is scheduled to take place in August next year.
According to officials, the construction and upgrade work should ideally be completed by the middle of July. This would give the authorities around one month to prepare the facility and address any remaining issues before the international summit.
The CDA has not yet finalised the total cost of the new project. However, officials and sources have estimated that the expansion and modernisation work could cost around Rs12 billion.
The Jinnah Convention Centre is expected to play an important role in hosting activities connected with the SCO summit. The planned expansion is therefore focused on increasing the venue’s capacity while improving its existing infrastructure and facilities.
The CDA will now assess pre-qualification proposals from construction firms before moving toward the next stage of the project. With the summit deadline approaching, the authority will need to complete the required planning, contracting and construction work within a limited timeframe.
The shift from the Malpur convention centre project to the expansion of the Jinnah Convention Centre reflects the CDA’s effort to use an existing facility for the upcoming international event instead of waiting for the delayed new convention centre to be completed.
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