In the Turkestan region, a government procurement worth 100.8 million tenge for the production of a seven-minute video for the «Uly Dala Eli» centre is under discussion. Regional authorities claim the price is due to the technological complexity of the project.
According to the Instagram page «Goszakupturaly», the State Public Utility Enterprise «Uly Dala Eli Ortalygy» and LLP «G7 Exclusive» have signed a contract to produce a short historical video, which is intended to present the history of Kazakhstan from antiquity to the present day.
The video plans to use artistic forms, including petroglyphs, «animal style», oriental miniatures, national ornaments, painting and graphics. The footage, lasting up to seven minutes, is intended to be shown in a special holographic hall.
The Turkestan region public procurement department stated that the project was put out to open tender three times, but each time the bidding was declared void.
After three unsuccessful attempts, the centre entered into a contract with a single supplier. The value of the contract, signed on 28 November, was 100,800,000 tenge including VAT. The deadline for completion is the end of this year.
As reported by Informburo.kz, the region's governor Nuralkhan Kusherov commented on the situation at a briefing at the Central Communications Service. According to him, creating the video requires significant expenditure due to the use of complex technologies.
"This is a video with a 3D effect. A script will be written to boost our tourism potential. We compared it with other countries, where the price reaches 200-300 thousand dollars. In the USA, there is Universal Park, where they produced shows for Harry Potter, Transformers. It's very expensive, it's not just a video. You have to understand that. It is aimed at increasing tourism potential. This is a necessary project for us. But, unfortunately, due to a lack of understanding, it immediately caused a stir," said Kusherov.
The governor also noted the commercial potential of the project.
"There is more of a commercial approach here. Within a year we would have recouped this money, and after that it would start generating revenue," he noted.
Shortly before this, Nuralkhan Kusherov had ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the conclusion of the contract between «Uly Dala Eli Ortalygy» and LLP «G7 Exclusive», including compliance with procedures and the targeted use of budget funds.