MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile opens bid process for the International Antarctic Center in Punta Arenas

A sketch model of CAI, which should be completed by 2026 becoming a world class scientific research forum

Five domestic and international construction companies are among the short list chosen by Chile's Public Works Ministry to participate in the bid to build the International Antarctic Center, CAI, in Punta Arenas, for which there is a budget of some 70 million dollars.

Following the technical, management and economic back checking by the Architecture Department, the Public Works ministry short listed the five companies. The bidding process is scheduled to begin next 27 July with the official announcement in the Chilean Gazette with all the details and technical demands for the project. The budget is estimated in some 70 million dollars and work should begin by next summer.

The selected companies will have until 24 November to present their proposals, when the bid envelopes will be officially opened, and following on satisfactory technical and management conditions demanded, on 12 December the envelopes with the economic proposals will be opened.

If the winning offer is not contested and there is no need to reassess the contract, works should begin in the first quarter of 2023, and the whole construction of the International Antarctic Center must be delivered in 36 months, by 2026.

The CAI is defined by Chilean authorities as a space dedicated to science, international cooperation, an open Antarctica policy, looking to the future, and the challenges and opportunities for research and tourism in the region.

CAI in Punta Arenas, with the permanent presence of Chilean and international scientists is “expected to become a world class scientific development pole, promoting the development of a cultural identity linked to Antarctica, underlining the natural, historic and cultural heritage of the region, with Chile as an Antarctic nation”.