I chose one of four options at the start, and I chose the number one clan in Lingnan.

The tender notice for the Donghai Bay Automated Deepwater Port was uploaded to the provincial public resource trading platform that evening.

The project has a total planned area of ​​6,800 mu (approximately 420 hectares) and will eventually include twelve large berths.

The first phase of the project includes four 200,000-ton deep-water berths, an automated container yard, and a port railway connection, with a construction budget of 12.6 billion.

The first general contracting contract is worth 3.8 billion yuan.

The winning bidder must also submit a ten-year operation and maintenance plan.

When Lin Fu delivered the tender documents to Hongtu's conference room, the bank credit line was also on the table.

"Grandpa, the Lin family just paid Huasheng for the acquisition, and the three hospitals are still catching up on back pay. If we register under the standard general contracting scheme, our financial score will be lowered."

Deep-water ports require bidders to provide experience with large ports; we only have six deep-water berths.

Lin Dayou flipped through the construction specifications.

"I can handle dock engineering, and I also have solutions for salt spray, ocean waves, and soft soil foundations."

The automated yard requires imported loading and unloading systems; the tender documents specified three interfaces, all backed by foreign shipping companies.

Lin Ting turned to the equipment procurement page in the document.

"Delete the import system and replace it with Lin's Heavy Industry's loading and unloading platform. Also delete the advance payment from the treasury, and settle the project payment according to the milestones."

Lin Fu raised his head.

"Zero advance payment from the government will reduce the financing space for bidders, and other companies will not dare to follow suit. The Lin family can use the project's revenue rights to establish closed-loop credit lines, without touching the family treasury's cash."

Overnight, Lin's Heavy Industry Research Institute retrieved the segmented blueprints for the automated loading and unloading platform.

Hongtu was responsible for the equipment module, Lin's Construction completed the port area infrastructure plan, and the six deep-water berths provided operational data.

The following morning, the area outside the provincial capital's bidding center was filled with construction vehicles.

China Shipping Ports, Jiangsu Provincial Highway & Bridge Group, and the Suzhou Building Materials Consortium all participated. Foreign-invested Hailian Port Services also submitted its proposal, backed by the Far East Shipping Alliance.

When the Lin family's convoy entered the parking area, more than a dozen vans were loaded with cement samples, models of automated loading and unloading platforms, and a sand table of the port area. Lin Dayou led the engineering staff to unload the goods, while Lin Fu was responsible for submitting the bid bond.

The first row of seats in the hall was originally filled with engineering bosses from all over the province.

When the Su family representative saw Lin Ting enter, he picked up the documents and moved to the second row. Several Hong Kong factory owners followed suit, none of them wanting to argue with the Lin family while seated.

An old construction boss made way for Lin Dayou.

"Chief Engineer Lin, the first row is reserved for you. We dared to take on Huasheng's 2 billion yuan project, and the province also wants to hear the Lin family's proposal for the Donghai Bay project."

Morgan, the representative from Hailian Ports, sat to the side of the judging panel without moving.

He worked on shipping projects in Jiangnan for eight years. The Far East Shipping Alliance controlled 40% of the province's foreign trade shipping and also held the equipment maintenance rights for three old port areas.

A Lingnan clan wants to get involved in automated deep-water ports; in his view, it's nothing more than using the popularity of real estate projects to raise their own value.

Once the qualification review began, Lin's weaknesses were the first to be exposed.

Financial experts pointed out that Lin's recent acquisitions involved excessively high amounts, and the proportion of stock pledges and M&A credit lines was also high.

Port experts pressed for details about the history of large port areas, pointing out that the six local wharves could not be matched with 200,000-ton berths.

Morgan opened the Hailian plan.

"Hailian Ports has completed seven international deep-water ports. The automated loading and unloading systems come from Europe, and the construction period is covered by overseas engineering insurance."

Lin's construction expertise is primarily in residential, cement, and local dock construction; undertaking a general contract worth 3.8 billion is too risky.

The judges did not object.

The Hailian plan requires the government to pay a 30% upfront payment and also grants the port area a ten-year operating right for its equipment. The cost is high, but the advantage of prior experience is also evident on paper.

Lin's qualification score ranked fourth.

During halftime, the Su family representative walked over to Lin Fu.

"The money is gone, and the Lin family's application is not hindered, but they can't make up for the project experience. If you join forces with the Su family, we can provide provincial-level engineering achievements, and we'll take 40% of the material procurement."

Lin Fu closed the scoring sheet.

"The Su family's cement can't be used in the seawater section. If you want to see the results, you can go back."

The technical review in the afternoon was moved to Hall 2.

Hailian Port Services first demonstrated the imported system. The equipment purchase price was 1.17 billion, the annual software licensing fee was 90 million, and the port area scheduling data also needed to be connected to the alliance's server located in Singapore.

After Morgan finished speaking, the judges gave him 87 points.

When it was Lin's turn, Lin Dayou placed a sample of Hong Kong cement on the testing table.

After 6,000 hours of salt spray and seawater immersion, the test specimens still showed compressive strength exceeding the design limit.

The port area infrastructure project uses Lin's special cement, which reduces material costs by 30% compared to Hailian's quote.

Morgan flipped through the documents.

"Materials are just the foundation; automated ports rely on loading and unloading systems. Lin's doesn't have a complete product; they're only submitting a model for review, so the risks remain."

Lin Ting got up from his seat and placed the complete set of drawings for the loading and unloading platform on the review table.

The drawings are divided into rail-mounted gantry crane, unmanned transfer vehicle, and central dispatch module.

Each device interface has a prototype number, and Hongtu Machinery Factory can complete the first batch of assembly within six months.

There is also a project financing letter at the top.

The Lin family did not require the government to pay the advance payment for the start of construction. The bank established a closed credit line based on the winning bid contract and the project's revenue rights. The project funds were paid according to the audit milestones, and all funds were subject to supervision by a special state-owned asset account.

The head of the review panel turned to the last page.

"The Lin family is willing to cover the initial costs of materials, equipment, and construction organization. Should this condition be written into the contract: if the project fails to pass the key acceptance tests, the government will not make any payments?"

Lin Ting answered very decisively.

"Write it down. The construction period is eighteen months. If it is overdue by even one day, compensation will be paid according to the contract."

The bank representatives then entered the venue and submitted a performance guarantee of 1.2 billion yuan. The Provincial Heavy Equipment Testing Bureau also issued a verification acceptance letter for the materials and loading/unloading modules.

The technical experts spent more than two hours calculating with the blueprints.

The original interfaces of the import system were completely replaced, and the port operation data was retained within the territory. The Lin's solution can also reduce the overall loading and unloading cost per container by 24%.

At 6 p.m., the judging committee began voting.

Nine committee members, nine votes in favor.

The results were displayed on a large screen.

The Lin family consortium won the priority bid for the first general contracting section of the Donghai Bay Automated Deepwater Port project, ranking first in technical solution, performance plan, and overall score.

Morgan remained seated, his dough taut and stiff.

Hailian Port lost more than just construction contracts; the Lin family's plan also severed the authorization for imported equipment, ten years of operating fees, and port area data interfaces.

As Lin Ting left the bidding center, project bosses from across the province stood on both sides of the steps.

Some people handed out business cards, and others volunteered to subcontract work. The Hong Kong industrial enterprises that had originally been waiting to see the Lin family make a fool of themselves changed their tune.

At 8 p.m., Lin Fu received an encrypted email at Buckingham Palace.

The sender was the Far East Shipping Alliance Council.

The email listed eleven member shipping companies and included a joint refusal-to-carry clause.

Lin Fu projected the content onto the wall screen.

"The Lin family must withdraw from the East Bay project within 24 hours. If they refuse, the alliance members will stop transporting all of the Lin family's goods and close container booking and foreign trade transshipment channels."