Stage 1

Proposals will be checked to ensure that Respondents have submitted a complete application including the application form and other required documents. This evaluation is to determine the presence of the information, not the quality.

If applicants can demonstrate that they have made a reasonable attempt to provide this information, their proposal will be considered in Stage 2.

Stage 2

The Department will assemble a panel to assist the Minister to review the proposals that have passed Stage One.

Proposals will be assessed on their overall merits, based on the proposal criteria and the extent to which they give effect to:

• the relevant statutory planning requirements for the Dominion Observatory
• the Dominion Observatory and Gardens Battery Conservation Plan.

No particular weightings will be assigned to the Proposal criteria, as the Minister will assess the Proposal as a whole. However, the Minister will be guided by the requirements of the Conservation Act 1987, including the requirement in section 4 to give effect to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, in administering and interpreting the Act.

While wider recreational and conservation opportunities are not included in this RFP process, the Minister may consider any information provided by Respondents as to any current or potential future involvement in such opportunities and how their Proposal may relate to these.

In addition to the above, the Department may undertake the following due diligence in relation to shortlisted applicants. The findings will be taken into account in the evaluation process. We may:

• reference check the applicant
• conduct other checks, for example, checking the applicant's organisation.