The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) New Universities Project Management Team has launched a competition for the design of Mpumalanga’s first university, set to be built in Nelspruit.

The project management team, which was set up by the University of Johannesburg, has invited expressions of interest from professional architects to participate in a two-stage architectural ideas competition.

The new campus – one of two new universities planned for South Africa – will be developed on the Lowveld Agricultural College grounds, overlooking Nelspruit and close to the new provincial Parliament.

Endorsed by the South African Institute of Architects, the purpose of the Nelspruit University design competition is to encour- age innovative ideas and the adoption of best practice concepts, as well as to identify talented designers to participate in the design of the university precincts and buildings.

At the end of the first stage of the competition, an independent competition jury will adjudicate the submissions, selecting up to ten respondents to proceed to the second stage.

The jury will comprise a representative from the DHET, a representative from the Mbombela municipality, a representative from the interim council of the new university, an architectural representative from Africa and three independent architects.

At the start of the second stage, the selected participants will be invited to associate with architectural practices to submit tender offers, which will only be opened and evalu- ated once the second-stage adjudication has been completed.

An honorarium of R40 000 will be awarded to participants who satisfactorily complete the second stage of the competition.

A maximum of five framework agreements for architectural services based on the New Engineering Contract 3 Professional Service Contract will be awarded to the highest-scoring tenderers for a three-year term, without any guarantee of any quantum of work.

Tenders will be evaluated on the basis of their financial offer, preference and quality. The score for quality will be solely based on the ranking of the competition jury.

Only professional architects registered in terms of the Architectural Profession Act of 2000 are eligible to participate in the design competition.

The closing date for submissions of expressions of interest is June 20. Competition winners will be announced on October 4.

Government last year announced that Nelspruit and Kimberley, in the Northern Cape, would each get one of the new universities.

Following the submission of comprehensive feasibility studies for each university at the end of last year, the National Treasury allocated more than R2-billion over the 2013/14 to 2015/16 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework for their development.