AN ORGANISATION is being sought that can deliver an ambitious project to be viewed by up to 70m people at the 2010 Shanghai Expo.

Liverpool is one of only two UK cities with a presence at the six-month exhibition, and Liverpool City Council has now launched its tendering process for its stand.

The city is inviting companies to declare their interest in constructing, managing and delivering the two-level, 450 sq metre stand which will be in the Urban Best Practice pavilion.

The exhibition space will promote how Liverpool as a modern, leading city can develop and prosper, while conserving its rich history as a World Heritage site.

The tender document sets out the council’s expectations for its future partner as it seeks to take advantage of the platform the Expo offers in its Chinese sister city.

It said: “The stand needs to attract as large an audience as possible.

“It needs to be a ‘must-see’ draw ensuring that the opportunity to tap into the 70m visitors is fully exploited.

“Liverpool’s case study, or story, needs to be popular, emotional and educational. It needs to articulate Liverpool’s unique 800-year history and how this is reflected in its heritage, culture and people.

“But the visitor also needs to be left with a clear sense of the city’s future and how Liverpool and its surrounding region partner cities have the ambition and the cultural and economic assets to justify its place alongside other world cities at the Expo.”

The tenders will be assessed on five criteria which are heavily weighted towards being able to work, and previous experience of project delivery within China.

The cost is expected to be at least £1.5m, but officials are keen to secure significant levels of private funding to allow for a more spectacular presence at the Expo.

Liverpool City Council has agreed to spend £300,000, and a further £100,000 has been committed by the NWDA as seed funding for the project.

Interested firms must submit the pre-qualification questionnaire by January 9 to be considered for the project, which will last for up to two years.

alex.turner