University of Groningen withdraws call for tenders for Feringa Building

The Board of the University of Groningen has decided to stop seeking a contractor for the new Feringa Building on the Zernike Campus.

Continuation of the procedure will lead to too large a gap between the project budget and the sums which contractors are expected to bid. This is the conclusion reached by the UG. The result is that the plan must be significantly modified, and a new procurement effort will have to be launched.

‘Obviously we regret having to take this decision’, says Jan de Jeu, Vice President of the Board, ‘but we came to the conclusion that, given the current economic context, the selected call for tenders did not generate enough competition.’ In consultation with the Faculty of Science and Engineering and all parties involved, we will have to see what this means for the timeline of the project. We believe it is possible to adapt the construction process in such a way that further delays will be limited.’

Feringa Building

This will be the Faculty of Science & Engineering’s third new building, after Bernoulliborg and Linnaeusborg. It will replace Nijenborgh 4. The new building will accommodate facilities for some 1400 students and 850 staff. In addition to offices and lecture halls, the building will also comprise a range of special research facilities, including physics, biochemistry and vibration-free labs.