Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway

Project No. D293GB2 South Island Line Expansion Project

Request for Proposals
INTRODUCTION
Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTR) is soliciting proposals from
consulting firms to provide planning and design services for the South Island Line
Expansion Project (project) on Hong Kong Island. The project is currently in the
early planning stage, and funding has been obtained for a preliminary geological
study of the project area. Proposals are being requested from companies with relevant
experience, in Hong Kong or elsewhere, in planning and managing such
expeditionary studies. Note that companies from outside of Hong Kong will be
required to comply with local labour utilization restrictions details are outlined in
Section II.A of the General Hiring Requirements.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The proposal and all supporting documents should be submitted before 12:00 noon on
24 February 2015. Documents may either be sent to projectproposal@mtr.com.hk or
via post to Project Proposal Address, ATTN Project People, Building, District, Hong
Kong ABC123. Note that all documents must be received by the above deadline. This
is not a postmark deadline. In addition, if the document is submitted via post, three (3)
copies of the proposal and each supporting document shall be submitted together in
one manila envelope with the Project Number and the firms name in English on the
front. The total submission must be at most twelve (12) A4 pages, excluding the cover
page and legal documents (noted in sections (4) and (5) of the Project Requirements),
but including all diagrams and figures attached, if applicable.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The MTR system in Hong Kong was originally envisioned in the 1960s, in order to
ameliorate traffic congestion and support the high population growth that was
anticipated due to the citys high economic growth. The initial system was opened in
1979 and has continued to be periodically expanded to this day, with a current
revenue-track length of 175km and daily ridership of 4,552,000. The system currently
is the most used mode of transportation in Hong Kong, with more than 46% market
share. However, there is still no service to the central and southern portions of Hong
Kong Island, due to the relatively low population density and difficult terrain. With
little land remaining in the rest of the city open for development, and high existing
demand for convenient, high-speed transportation to the city centre from current
residents, a line connecting Admiralty station and Aberdeen has been part of the long-

term planning vision of MTR since 2002, in order to allow for further growth and
more convenient transportation options for current residents and workers.
The project is envisioned as a semicircular line connecting Admiralty and Wan Chai
stations on the Tseun Wan and Island lines, with new stations at Happy Valley, Ocean
Park, Wong Chuk Hang, Lei Tung, and South Horizons, and a train depot
immediately south of Happy Valley station. The areas surrounding each of these
proposed station sites are currently the site of more than 100,000m2 of office,
residential, and commercial space, with the capacity for an additional 300,000m2
within 1km of the stations. The project is vitally important for the promotion of
business, high living standards, and increased tourist traffic in the Hong Kong region.
PROJECT DETAILS
The goal of the proposed study is to determine the optimal routing of the project, with
respect to the geological conditions along the proposed project routing bounds and the
primary considerations described below. An earlier study has produced two feasible
alignment schemes, which can be seen in the following diagrams and will henceforth
be referred to as Option A and Option B. Further technical diagrams are available in
Annex C of the RFP Supplementary Materials.

The contracted firm will be leading an exploratory crew to examine the geological
structure above and below ground along the entire project corridor for both Options.
Test drillings will be conducted in several spots along both Options bounds in order
to determine soil density and composition, and various drilling and scaffolding
schemes and their actionability will be examined. This work shall proceed beginning
with the sections of the project bounds that are not shared by Options A and B, so as
to determine the relative merits of the Options as immediately as possible.
In consultation with staff civil engineers at MTR, a draft proposal detailing the
recommended construction option, along with a more precise routing band and
estimated construction cost and timetable will then be produced for submission to the
Legislative Council. There is also potential for the firm to be retained for the final
geological surveying and blueprint production. In addition, there may be opportunities
as spot consultation assistants available during final construction, subject to project
green-lighting and funding. Please note that the primary considerations in determining
optimal routing will be travel time, persons per hour throughput from Admiralty to

South Horizons station, and construction cost weighted equally at 30% each, as well
as total estimated construction time weighted at 10%.
PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
The following materials are required for a submission to be considered complete:
1) A cover page and table of contents with the name and contact information
(telephone, facsimile number, primary mailing address) of the firm submitting the
proposal, as well as the lead consultant at the firm responsible for the proposal.
2) A letter, at most four (4) pages in length, outlining specific solutions proposed for
completion of the project, in light of the information presented above in the
Project Overview and Project Details.
3) Contact info and brief CVs, at most one (1) page each, for up to five (5) primary
and supporting staff who will be attached to the project in the event that a contract
is tendered.
4) A list of Hong Kong office space leased or owned by the firm, and a dossier
detailing the number of employees currently employed in, or planned to be
employed in Hong Kong contingent on tendering of a contract for this project.
5) Any disclosures required by the Public Interest Laws, or other relevant legislation.
SELECTION PROCESS
All proposals received by the deadline in accordance with all specifications and
submission requirements above will be considered equally. Projects will be judged
primarily by coherence of submission materials, practicability of the proposed project
processes, and proven ability to complete projects of a similar scope. Selection will be
a two-step process, with approximately five (5) proposals selected to continue to the
secondary selection. Companies whose proposals are selected to continue to the
secondary selection will be notified by 2 April 2015. Details will be released at this
time regarding further information to be submitted, if necessary. The timeline for the
final selection will be disclosed upon release of the primary selection results as well.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
MTR will not reimburse any companies for expenses incurred in the preparation of
documents related to the proposal. MTR will decide, at its sole discretion, whether or
not to offer a contract to any company that submits a proposal, and submission of a
proposal binds MTR in no way to offer any services to said company. Firms will
retain the intellectual property rights of all documents submitted to MTR, but in no
case will the copies submitted to MTR be returned. All other rights are reserved
subject to applicable legislation, and all elements of this document will be in full force
even if separate sections are declared invalid.