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SECOND ITEM ON THE AGENDA

Progress report on the construction of the
ILO premises in Islamabad

1. At its March 1997 session, the Governing Body was informed that the construction work on the Office premises was progressing.⁽¹⁾  Since then, in the wing of the building which will house the offices, the following finishings have been completed: plasterwork, painting, marble and tile flooring, false ceilings, plumbing and the installation of air ducts and electricity conduits. The carpentry work, the finishing of the sanitary installations, the glazing of the windows and the installation of metal doors and windows has progressed but has not yet been completed. As regards the conference hall, there has been a relatively long delay, essentially due to difficulties the enterprise had in installing the metal structure of the roof and also the need to adjust the architectural and land drainage plans to take account of the geo-technical conditions encountered during the work owing to the presence of underground water pockets. This delay in construction was accentuated by a series of communication difficulties between the construction enterprise and the architect, the construction enterprise reproaching the architect for not acting promptly enough in respect of both amending certain construction drawings and clearing and accepting work.

2. With the objective of both expediting work to meet the original schedule and resolving any differences of opinion between the construction enterprise and the architect, the Office intervened to promote better relations between the parties through regular meetings and contact and thereby help avoid any further delays. An agreement was reached in which the construction enterprise undertook, inter alia, to make ready two floors of the ILO premises in Islamabad by the end of December 1997, so that the Office can be transferred there by the end of the year. The builder also undertook to provide the Office with all the fittings required for it to be operational from that date onwards. The completion date for the remaining building work (conference hall and offices) was postponed until the end of April 1998.

3. It is very important for the ILO Office in Islamabad to be transferred to its new premises by the end of the year because that is when its current rental agreement expires; it would be difficult to gain an extension, given the owner's wish for a long-term lease. Furthermore, the fact of the ILO Office moving into the new premises at the end of the year may prompt the builder to complete the work more quickly, in view of the presence of Office staff. The occupation of the premises will also mean that Office personnel will be able to observe their surroundings and provide input into improving a variety of practical details in the fitting out of the premises.

4. As regards the air-conditioning, at the end of May 1997, following an in-depth technical evaluation of the bids received by the architect and the Office, the Office awarded the work to United Builders (PVT) Ltd. and, once it had received all the necessary financial security, the two parties signed a contract for work. It is recalled that the installation of the air-conditioning system also includes the brickwork for the housing of the equipment, located at the back of the building.

5. The addition of air-conditioning during the course of work and the further construction work it requires, which were not anticipated in the first construction phase, as well as the tendering procedure for this work, have inevitably led to an additional delay in the completion date of the building. This delay is the result, on the one hand, of the time needed both to assess the bids and perform the usual administrative and financial formalities required for any contract and, on the other, of the difficulties that the chosen enterprise encountered in Islamabad in obtaining all the guarantees required under the contract from the supplier of the air-conditioning equipment. At the time of writing this report, the equipment order is being processed. The enterprise has undertaken to complete all the air-conditioning work by June 1998 at the latest, but most probably by April/May 1998, to tie in with the completion of the building work.

6. At the next session of the Governing Body in March 1998, when the building will be practically completed, a final report will be submitted on the whole project.

Geneva, 5 November 1997.