The National Assembly (NA) is accepting bids on the construction of its new administrative building, which has a budget of $25 million through a grant provided by the Vietnamese government.

The NA invited all interested bidders who are eligible and qualified to submit the necessary forms to its secretariat-general by November 27.

“Procurement will be conducted through ... the standard operating procedures on procurement for all externally financed projects or programmes and under the laws and regulations governing public procurement within the Kingdom of Cambodia,” it said.

NA spokesman Leng Peng Long told The Post on November 14 that the new assembly administrative building will be 27m by 49m with 12 floors. There will be two parking lots adjacent to the building.

He said the building will be built in the Khmer architectural style and must meet the technical specifications determined in collaboration between experts and consultations from the NA.

“Because the plot of land is small and the building is rectangular, we can’t build anything very fancy but we want to use the Khmer style in the front with gold and diamond pillars and also use the Khmer style at the gate,” he said.

Peng Long added that the old NA building will continue to operate normally until after the new building is completed and then the NA will begin renovation to maintain its quality and beauty.

Cambodian Institute for Democracy (CID) president Pa Chanroeun said more Khmer style buildings should be constructed so as not to deviate from the traditions, customs and cultural heritage of Cambodia, especially on state buildings.

“In fact, the NA is a top national institution working to serve the national interests. So the building should have the national characteristics, national spirit and national interests embedded in its architectural style in order to value and uphold the preservation of our Khmer culture,” Chanroeun said.