1 introduction / background founded in 1861, the national gallery of victoria (ngv) is australia’s oldest public gallery.  the national gallery of victoria act 1966 established the ngv as a statutory authority which sits within the portfolio of the department of premier and cabinet.  the act provides for a council of trustees with overall responsibility for the ngv, reporting to the minister for creative industries.  the act provides that “in carrying out its functions the council must endeavour to contribute to the enrichment of the cultural, educational, social and economic life of the people in victoria.” the ngv operates one public gallery across two sites:  ngv international (ngvi) on st kilda road and the ian potter centre:  ngv australia at federation square (ngv australia).  in addition, the ngv has the use of dedicated storage facilities in north melbourne and spotswood, as well as a small workshop located in west melbourne.  overall, the ngv has about 55,000 square metres of premises, 19,600 square metres of which is public display space for works of art. the state collection, which has been developed over 150 years, comprises approximately 67,000 works of art including paintings, sculptures, antiquities, works on paper, photographs, decorative arts, furniture, fashion, textiles and multimedia.  approximately 2.2 million people visit the ngv every year. 2. general deion of scope of the contract this request for tender (“rft”) is for the provision of “mechanical services” to the ngv, at the ngv international, 180 st. kilda road site. this contract for the maintenance of the mechanical equipment at ngv site covers the following main areas: gallery building; art school administration building; and office and laboratory areas in upper ment. the equipment and systems to be maintained in these areas are: pumps; air handling units (ahus); fan coil units (fcus); air conditioning units (water cooled and air cooled); filters; humidifiers; electric heater banks; heating coils; variable air volume (vav) boxes; fans; paint spray booth; compressed air plant; domestic hot water tanks; heat exchangers; forced draft cooler condensing units; dehumidifier; fume cupboard; fume extraction areas; mechanical switchboards; pipework; insulation; plantrooms; controllers;