Parliament on Thursday invited bids from those interested in conducting a feasibility study into the socio-economic effects and cost-effectiveness of a move from Cape Town to Pretoria. This follows President Jacob Zuma’s suggestion in his state of the nation address on February 11 that the relocation of the national legislature should be considered‚ as a way of curtailing state spending. Head of supply chain management at Parliament Nomxolisi Ojie told a meeting of interested parties that "Parliament took a decision to call for the services of an external supplier to undertake a comprehensive feasibility study" into the implications of such a move. "The feasibility study will also assess the cost implications of the proposed relocation in terms of personnel‚ MPs and other related projects‚" Ojie said.Her colleague Mmabatho Zungu said the location of the parliamentary precinct and its associated accommodation requirements had been a debate that dated back to 1910‚ when the Union of South Africa was founded.She explained to the 30 or so interested parties in attendance that the project would need to review all previous studies on the facilities needed for Parliament‚ along with the costs of upgrading the existing precinct in Cape Town.There was also a need to review the cost of creating a new precinct in Pretoria and to provide clear social consequences — benefits and damages — and identify the economic consequences of relocation.The bids would have to include studies on the socio-economic effect on Cape Town should Parliament move to Pretoria‚ as well as the labour relations implications for the staff employed in Parliament in Cape Town...