6 December 2019

Contract signed for construction of Ri.MED Center

Contract signed for construction of Ri.MED Center

Ri.MED Foundation, Biomedical Research and Biotechnology Center: Construction site will open by January 2020

Palermo, 6 December 2019 – The contract awarding the construction works of the Biomedical Research and Biotechnology Center (BRBC) for a total amount of € 90,526,511.77, was signed this morning in the offices of the Ri.MED Foundation. The contract provides for the awarded temporary association of enterprises (ATI), which includes Italiana Costruzioni S.p.A. (mandated agent), Gemmo S.p.A., ISA S.p.A., and T.AM.CO. S.r.l., to open the construction site in January 2020 and complete the BRBC after two years.   

The process started almost nine years ago with the publication of an international design competition for the BRBC. This was followed by the approval of the preliminary, final, and executive designs and, finally, by the publication of the restricted procedure to award the BRBC construction works that ended in June 2019. The numerous tasks performed were ongoing and complex.  Some facts and figures:

  • Over 100 fulfillments required to release reports, opinions, authorizations, licenses, permits, and approvals.
  • Ninety-one sessions of the tender commission (for the “Phase 1” of the tender only) to award the contract.
  • Two protocols of legality signed with the Prefettura di Palermo and one agreement entered with the Italian National Anti-Corruption Authority (ANAC) to guarantee the maximum correctness of the BRBC construction contract awarding process.
  • Two appeals filed against the Foundation (one for the design competition, the other for the contract notice) that ended up confirming the soundness of the work of the Foundation, but that nevertheless required a considerable amount of time and commitment from a legal standpoint.

“This is an important result that brings us closer to the goal to accomplish in Sicily one of the most significant public investments ever made in Southern Italy”, said Paolo Aquilanti, President of the Ri.MED Foundation. “Also, the scope of action is extraordinary: it involves highly-qualified experts and the most up-to-date technological assets. The partnership between public institutions such as the Italian Government, Region of Sicily, Italian National Research Council, and foreign partners like the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC, successfully demonstrated the possibility of turning an ambitious idea into a reality.”