The National Science Council (NSC) said yesterday it was cooperating with prosecutors in an investigation into suspected irregularities in awarding a contract for reducing train vibrations at the southern Taiwan science park.
NSC vice chairman Yang Hung-duen (楊弘敦) said he believed the council's staff members had acted in accordance with the law and relevant rules throughout the bidding process three or four years ago.
Yang made the comments after Taiwan District Court prosecutors and investigators searched NSC offices and left with boxes of documents relating to the council's decision to select Hung Hua Engineering Co to carry out the NT$8.05 billion project.
The project was necessary because the High Speed Railway will pass through the park, which is designed to accommodate high-tech companies, including top-notch chip manufacturing plants that are sensitive to vibrations over 48 decibels.
Prosecutors said they had been investigating the case after some lawmakers suspected irregularities may have occurred when the NSC was awarding the contract.
The NSC had set a two-phase schedule to choose the best contractor for the project.
First, all contractors must submit a feasibility proposal, which needed to be supported by lab evidence.
Second, eligible competitors must submit an engineering project to achieve the stated purpose.
Yang said the contract had been awarded and that construction was expected to be completed in August.
The controversy may have been raised by the company which failed to win the contract, he said, much like the controversy over the highway toll collection project.
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