Coteccons wins contract for LEGO’s $1 billion factory project

In March 2022, the news that the “giant” of LEGO toys invested in building a factory in Binh Duong attracted special attention from the public. This project with a total investment value of up to 1 billion USD inadvertently created a race between the construction giants in Vietnam, with the aim of being the project general contractor. On August 22, the race came to an end when Coteccons announced the winning bid, taking care of all construction, structural, M&E and finishing items for subdivisions 1-5 with construction floor area up to 163,000 m2.

Perhaps this is also the information that has brought the most positive effects to Coteccons since the beginning of the year so far. Having just gone through the 2 most tumultuous years in its development history, surrounded by rumors, shareholders question its ability to regain its leading position, how can Coteccons overcome emerging giants and win. contractor for this project?

Seasoned Captain

It is known that the two leaders in charge of the bidding project for the LEGO factory project are Mr. Vo Hoang Lam – who was newly appointed General Director not long ago and Mr. Chris Senekki – Deputy General Director of Coteccons.

Mr. Lam is a familiar character when he used to be in charge of a series of famous big projects such as MGM Grand Ho Tram, D’Capitale, Viettel Headquarters, etc. And Mr. Chris, according to research, used to hold this position. General Director of Turner Vietnam Construction Company and has had great success projects such as: Qatar Petroleum Area, Port, Marina and Cyprus International Airport (Cyprus), Porsche Autohaus (HCM), Hilton Saigon Hotel … With experience in implementing projects with foreign elements, Mr. Chris acts as an expert, consulting in detail the working process according to international standards.

Also need to know, the LEGO project team not only has employees from Coteccons but also has the contribution of Unicons. Unicons is usually only known as a subsidiary, a member company of Coteccons, but in fact, this team is likened to an elite and stable army in the Group, especially experienced in the field of home construction workshop.

Common voice at the negotiating table

The fact that there are many foreign factors and understanding of international culture when investing in Vietnam also become the advantages of Coteccons in this project. An employee in the project shared: “From the preparation of documents and related documents, we have all followed international standards. The personnel assigned to the project must have the right expertise, knowledge and experience in the field of sustainable development and the Industrial Factory segment to be able to speak the same language with the investor on the table judge”.

In his speech at the signing ceremony with LEGO, Mr. Chris Senekki shared: “The LEGO project team has set out a very strict and professional working process according to international standards. Throughout the project pursuit, the Coteccons team has performed consistently, with integrity and transparency to be able to meet the rigorous standards and complex technical requirements of the project, especially in terms of sustainability. This is a very challenging project, but we are extremely excited to partner with LEGO and bring a sustainable, distinctive project to the world.”

Unlike ordinary industrial factories, the LEGO factory in Vietnam has strict standards for sustainable development, is LEGO’s first and most sustainable carbon-neutral factory in the world, aiming at LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification – a certificate of the Green Building Council of America. This plant will build solar panels on the roof and a solar project built close to the plant, the plan will meet all 100% of the annual energy requirements and provide the facilities run electricity. Besides, the plant system helps save water up to 40%. Therefore, bidding documents must meet ESG (environmental, social, and governance) standards.

Meanwhile, in fact, in the construction industry in Vietnam, Coteccons and Hoa Binh Group are the two largest enterprises that have invested in reports on sustainable development. In its annual report in 2021, Coteccons said that it has begun to ” base on ESG standards as the “backbone” for designing its development path”. In particular, applying the selection of technical solutions and materials according to the best criteria for the environment, minimizing energy consumption and environmental impact.

In addition, before that Coteccons had experience as the main contractor for “green” projects similar to Techcombank Tower in Hanoi – one of the few office projects that achieved the Leed Gold green building certificate, the Leed Gold certified projects such as Capital Palace (Lieu Giai, Hanoi), The MarQ (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), Viettel Military Telecom Building, …

Experience and common ground in sustainable development thinking have brought Coteccons plus points during the bidding process, to convince investors with their biggest sustainable development project.

The spirit of transparency

If you follow Mr. Bolat Duisenov’s speeches since taking the chair of Coteccons Chairman, it is not difficult to realize that the keywords “transparency” and “integrity” are always emphasized by him. After winning the bid for the LEGO project, the Chairman also sent a letter to all employees in the Group, with the title “Live with integrity, focus and sleep well”.

“ The bidding for this project required thousands of hours of preparation and teamwork. We are the best in terms of technology as well as qualifications. And we were able to do it only with the power of concentration. The team is assigned individually, the goals are clear, the processes are processed and the result is that – from technical submissions to VE proposals – everything is possible only when we are focused. 

I learned an interesting lesson in management and life: “What we pay attention to, it will grow”. If we focus on our difficulties, rumors, mistakes, and emotions, these “will grow”. If we focus on Customer and Customer needs, on successful results, on building a strong Company then surely it will also be achieved. Difficulties never end, but we have a choice – where and where to put our efforts ,” Bolat wrote.

In the letter, the Coteccons President also revealed feedback from LEGO leadership. “At the end of the day, the top management of LEGO Manufacturing Vietnam shared that our Company was the only ones who did not “try to contact” during the bidding, who did not try to “pressurize” the exception. And they appreciate that very much.”

Mr. Bolat said that the market has now changed a lot, many international customers come to Vietnam. Coteccons is in the process of reshaping the construction industry culture and bidding method, always pursuing the values ​​of integrity and transparency.