SIA AIMASA was found to have submitted the most economical bid in the open tender for performing the remaining work necessary for the implementation of the construction design of the Valmiera Drama Theatre (VDT) building up to its commissioning. According to Jeļena Gavrilova, board member of VAS ‘Valsts nekustamie īpašumi’, the proposed contract price was EUR 8,162,914.38 (without VAT).
‘The locals and guests of Valmiera can already see the change: the metal structures of VDT’s new black-box auditorium have already been completed, and the building is gradually taking on a new look. This means that urgent construction and the building’s load-bearing structures are nearing completion and that this work will be done to the extent set in the contract. This demonstrates that terminating the contract with the SBSC general partnership was the right decision. We are happy that the reconstruction will continue without interruptions, hoping that the pace of the work will be as quick as it used to be,’ Gavrilova said.
AIMASA will have fourteen months after the signing of the contract to complete the remaining construction up to the commissioning of the site. The contract with the construction company will be concluded in the coming weeks.
Four construction companies—SIA AIMASA, PS ‘P un S būvniecība’, SIA Velve, and SIA Pillar Contractor—submitted their bids in the open tender for the remaining construction. The contract prices offered ranged from 8.2 million to 10.3 million euros (without VAT).
Emergency construction to ensure the mechanical strength and stability of the load-bearing structures will be completed in May, including the construction and reinforcement of the foundation and the installation of the load-bearing structures of the building in accordance with the design solutions. Because SIA AIMASA will continue to work at the construction site, the reconstruction of the VDT building will continue without interruptions, and as early as 2024, the theatre’s staff and its audience will be able to appreciate the work done during the reconstruction.
VNĪ terminated its contract with the previous contractor for the construction in the VDT building, the SBSC general partnership, because after multiple requests, it failed to demonstrate the connection between a construction cost increase of 50% of the contract price (i.e. 3.8 million euros, with VAT included) it proposed and the war that had begun in Ukraine in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations, including the guidelines on assessing and compensating construction cost increases developed by the Ministry of Economics; the contractor also failed to submit documents that would give justification for the proposed cost increase across multiple cost estimate positions. The actual construction fell significantly behind the contractual deadline, as on 30 September 2022, the progress was only 21%, although according to the agreed schedule, it should have been 50 % of the total amount of construction.
The VDT building is a notable example of modern architecture of its period and a site of cultural-historic heritage. The building was constructed in 1996 at the site of the former Latvian Society using a design by architects M. Ģelzis, O. Upaciere, and J. Gusevs, as a large modern brick building with two auditoriums, a theatre museum, an art salon, and a café. The theatre’s Grand Auditorium became available to audiences that same year. However, the theatre building as a whole was not commissioned for safe operation until as late as December 2004.
Once the reconstruction is completed in the first half of 2024, the VDT building will have better energy efficiency and energy management, and offer a more comfortable working environment for the theatre staff, a new black-box auditorium, and improved accessibility. The estimated total cost of the VDT project is 10.41 million euros (including the cost of construction, design, design supervision, equipment, etc.).
The construction procurement is implemented as part of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) project ‘Energy efficiency improvements at the Valmiera Drama Theatre, at Lāčplēša iela 4, Valmiera’ (ID No 4.2.1.2/18/I/019). The construction will be carried out with co-financing by the European Union as part of Measure 4.2.1.2 ‘Improve energy efficiency in public and residential buildings’ of Specific Support Objective 4.2.1 ‘Pursue better energy efficiency in public and residential buildings’ of the ‘Growth and Employment’ Action Programme.
VNĪ currently successfully works on 44 national-scope projects, 24 of which are in construction stage. The total budget for the implementation off the projects is more than 336 million euros. VNĪ provides professional technical and administrative real estate management for approximately 352 real properties consisting of 1000 buildings with a total floor area of 0.95 million square metres and 607 ha of land under the buildings, and more than 3460 land properties with an area of 907 hectares. VNĪ is one of 23 Latvian companies that have received the highest platinum award as part of the Sustainability Index of the Institute of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, confirming the good governance and sustainability of its operations. The company was founded in 1996 and is 100% owned by the Ministry of Finance.
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