Campineanul said the winner of the full contract is SC Vanel Exim SRL Bacau, a company whose bidding project received 81.52 points, qualifying for the second prize. A further EUR30,000 will be awarded to third prize winners, SC West Group Arhitecture SRL from capital Bucharest.
Campineanul explained that the winning project ranked first in terms of endurance, second in terms of water and power systems and was also the most reasonably priced, though not the cheapest. The bishop added that no bid received the 90 points required to win the first prize.
The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church will convene on July 7 to award three mentions worth EUR10,000 and two special prizes worth EUR5,000. According to Campineanul, the other prize-winning projects will be used for building cathedrals both in Romania and abroad, as requests have already come in from Italy, the U.S. and Spain.
The bishop added that the Romanian Patriarchate has not requested any for state funding, but has begun negotiations with several banks for a EUR100 million credit line. He added that the cathedral project will create 4,000 new jobs in the construction sector.
Campineanul highlighted that the project will be partly funded by donors and sponsors who have already given money to the cause. A public donation campaign for building the cathedral will run in Romanian churches as of this fall. The bishop warned church-goers against potential scammers, explaining that all donors must receive a receipt for their money from the church.
The Cathedral will be 120 meters long, 70 meters wide and will stand 120 meters tall.
Last Friday, Romanian Patriarch Daniel said construction on the cathedral might be completed in three years, while its consecration would take two or three more years.
On June 3, Campineanul said the Romanian Orthodox Church will borrow around EUR200 million from a bank to build the People’s Cathedral, with work to begin on August 15.