WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  RESTRICTED 
WT/BFA/W/287 
18 October 2012 
 (12-5669) 
Committee on Budget, Finance and Administration  
  
 
 
UTILIZATION OF THE MEMBERS' TRANSITION OPERATING FUND 
  I. INTRODUCTION 
 1. In conformance with the guidelines establishing the Members' Transition Operating Fund
1 
(the Fund), this document presents: 
a) a financial situation of the Fund with details for each project;    
b) a progress report on the Common Facilities Projects. 
 
2. It is to be recalled that the Fund was created to finance specific expenditures of the building 
project, that is, costs pertaining to the installa tion and equipment of these facilities, following the 
completion of renovated and new facilities.   
II. FINANCIAL SITUATION OF THE FUND 
3. The current financial situation of the Fund  as at 30 September 2012 is provided below: 
Source of Funding  Amount in Swiss francs   
2007 Surplus 8,051,716 
2009 Surplus 1,036,988 2010 Surplus 10,527,319 
Total Fund  19,616,023  
 
 Projects authorized  
 South Courtyard Conference Centre (partial financing) (2,509,445) 
 Common Area & ITTC Furniture (900,000) 
 Archive Rooms (900,000) 
 Signage (200,000)  Catering Facilities in CWR (400,000)  Renovation and Equipping North Wing Conference Rooms (6,200,000)  Data Centre (700,000) 
 Catering Facilities for the New Building (1,700,000) 
 Furniture and Furnishings fo r the New Building (2,200,000) 
 Security Facilities   (800,000)  Accreditation Facility (BCI)  (2,100,000) 
 Total projects authorized as at 30 September 2012 (18,609,445)   
 
 Balance of the Fund as at 30 September 2012 
 Total Fund 19,616,023  Projects authorized    (18,609,445) 
 Remaining balance of the Fund 1,006,578 
                                                      
1  WT/BFA/W/178/Rev.1. WT/BFA/W/287 
Page 2  
 
  4. The following table provides further details on the financial situation for each of the 
authorized projects as at 30 September 2012. It distinguishes the amount authorized by the Committee, the amount currently committed (signed c ontracts with suppliers) and the amount already 
invoiced.  It also provides a comparison with th e preliminary cost estimates communicated to the 
Committee in June 2011.  
Common Facilities Projects  
(in CHF) Preliminary 
Cost 
Estimates 
20112 Amounts 
Authorized 
by CBFA Actual 
Commitment  
30/09/2012 Actual 
Expenditure 
30/09/2012 
South Courtyard Conference Centre 4,400,000 2,509,44532,424,445 2,025,858
Common Area & ITTC Furniture 1,400,000 900,000 886,822 755,129
Archive Rooms 900,000 900,000 124,000 0
Signage 200,000 200,000 75,400 16,633
Catering Facilities in CWR   400,000 400,000 340,625 332,932
Renovation and Equipping of the North 
Wing Conference Rooms 8,000,000 6,200,000 5,385,000 3,098,875
Data Centre  500,000 700,000 594,000 0
Catering Facilities in New Building 2,100,000 1,700,000 1,523,500 0
New Building Furniture & Furnishings 1,800,000 2,200,000 1,478,618 0
Security Facilities  1,100,000 800,000 567,105 0
Accreditation Facility (BCI) 0 2,100,000 0 0
Project Director and Archit ectural  Fees  500,000Pending 
Request   
Total 21,300,000 18,609,445 13,399,515 6,229,427
 
III. STATUS OF AUTHORIZED PROJECTS  
 
A. South Courtyard Conference Centre  
 5. The Conference Centre has a modular layout w ith 400-seat capacity; equipped and furnished 
with state-of-the-art technology.  The Centre is being used for several months, but has not yet been 
fully delivered.  Some further programming and tr aining of the technical equipment will be carried 
out by the new audio-visual partner of the consortiu m during the last quarter of  2012.  This is required 
for the electronic name plates to become operatio nal.  The funding authorized for this project 
amounted to CHF 4.5 million, partially financed from the Fund for CHF 2,509,445 and from the 2010 budgetary savings for CHF 1,990,555.  
 
B. Common Area and the Institute for Traini ng and Technical Co-operation (ITTC) Furniture 
 6. The common area in the Centre William Rappard (CWR) include the North Courtyard Atrium, the adjacent coffee shop, the delegates' lounge , the Salle des Pas Perdus, the delegates' dining 
room, the Press/Briefing room, and lobbies currently being renovated in the first and the third floors.  
The furniture and the fixtures have been almost en tirely received and installed in most of the common 
areas and the renovated 4
th floor ITTC training facility.  U pon completion of the renovated areas, 
which is foreseen in the coming months, th e remaining furniture will be installed. 
                                                      
2 Preliminary estimates provided to the Committee on 10 June 2011 - WT/BFA/W/239. 
3 Additional financing of the South Courtyard Conference Centre from the 2010 budgetary savings in 
the amount of CHF 1,990,555 - WT/BFA/W/261.  WT/BFA/W/287 
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  C.  Archive Rooms 
 7. The studies to create the first adequate arch ive rooms at the WTO have been completed in 
September 2012. HRS, the general contractor fo r the intra-muros building work, evaluated the 
technical requirements with expert engineers.   Various discussions and joint studies involved 
acoustics, building physics, ventilation, and air co nditioning.   The technical requirements for the 
archive floor space were evaluated, such as temperat ure and humidity control,  insulation, fire and 
flooding risks.  The archive facilities will also be eq uipped with a compatible sliding shelving system 
to hold historical records.  The Secretariat w ill decide the project management set-up for the 
execution phase in the coming months. 
 
D. Signage 
8  A local public education institution, Haute école d'art et de design (HEAD) Geneva, was 
contracted to do the layout concept throughout th e entire WTO site, in collaboration with our CWR 
and new administrative building architects, Group8 and Wittfoht Planung Architekten, respectively. 
WTO signage has a global design concept, which ta kes into account vital factors, such as, clear 
orientation, a consistent numberi ng of floor levels and office room s, and uniform graphics.  The 
signage presently in place in the CWR is temporary.  HEAD is in contact with the Secretariat for the 
production of electronic and/or physical supports for th is project which will be installed in 2013.   
E. Catering Facilities in the Centre William Rappard (CWR) Building 9. The CWR catering facilities became operational on 1
st of May 2012.  A coffee shop with a 
small kitchen, were installed and equipped with machines, including display and sales counters, 
serving the delegates and the staff members.  A dining  room with a 30-seat capacity is located next to 
it. Some minor adjustments are foreseen to fu rther enhance distribution and reduce waiting time, 
especially during active periods.   
F. Renovation and Equipping of the North Wing Conference Rooms 
10. A specialized French consortium of compan ies, under the direction of DEGW, was selected 
through a competitive bidding process for the South Courtyard Conference Centre.  The consortium's 
services were extended to refurbish the out-dated t echnical equipment and furniture of the conference 
rooms A, B, C, D, E, F, and W, located in the North Wing ground and third floors of the CWR building, with a total seating capacity of 667. 
11. Installation of audio-visual and recording equipment in the North Wing conference rooms is 
generally similar to the ones in the South Courty ard Conference Centre, except that no electronic 
name plates will be installed.  Compatibility and standardized utilization of technical equipment 
(including screens and projectors, cameras), inter-connections with the other conference rooms, centralized technical control room, video-teleconf erence system features, Wifi coverage, Webcasting 
connection to the WTO network, have all been tec hnically evaluated.  The interpretation booths will 
be equipped with the latest technology, the same quality and type as the interpretation /sound systems 
in the South Courtyard Conference Centre.  12. The consortium, with a new audio-visual partner already completed the installation of 
furniture, audio-visual, recording, interpretation equi pment, in Room F.  The preparatory work on the 
other rooms has been engaged and shall start as soon as the renovation work is completed. These 
rooms shall become available early 2013. WT/BFA/W/287 
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  G. Data Centre 
13 The new building extension project will comp rise of 300 office spaces, a restaurant, the 
printing and data centres of the WTO.  A small stat e-of-the-art data centre will be located in the 
ground floor of the new administrative building.  Expected completion date of the IT Data Centre by Implenia, the general contractor, stands at the e nd of October 2012.  The installation and cabling of 
racks, the electrical connections of various IT  equipment and the servers, are scheduled for 
completion by the end of November.  It will replace the existing data centre currently located in the 
rented premises at the Chemin des Mines.   
H. Catering Facilities in the New Building 14.  The services of Implenia, the actual general contractor of the new administrative building, 
were extended to equip and to in stall the new kitchen, with quality control managed by the current 
architects Wittfoht Planung Architekten, and with the overall supervision under the building project 
director pom+Consulting AG.  There are substantial advantages with the existing project management 
set-up, planning, coordination and work execution planned beginning January 2013, with expected 
completion in spring 2013. 
I. New Building Furniture and Furnishings 
15.  Following a competitive bidding process, a Swedish company, Lammhults Möbel AG, was 
selected to provide all furniture for the new build ing.  The delivery of furniture will start Mid-
November in order to allow for the move of some 2 50 staff in the new building by the end of the year. 
J. Security Facilities 16.   Security equipment installation is schedul ed to start this month for the new building and 
underground car park.  The second phase is scheduled in year 2013 for the security perimeter and the 
new Sécheron parking.   Thales is the selected security firm. 
K. Accreditation Facility (BCI)   17. A request for the permit of a new and permanent accreditation facility was submitted on 
4 July 2012.  Upon delivery of the permit by the Sw iss authorities, the facility will be erected within 
the security perimeter and close to the Salle Willia m Rappard (SWR).  The building is a simple and 
single level pavilion that will welcome all visitors and delegates.  The facility's scheduled delivered 
date is in summer 2013.  The general contract and architects will be the same as the one of the new 
building.   
IV. REMAINING COMMON FACILITY PROJECT WHERE FUNDING IS REQUIRED 
L.  Former Crèche (Villa Rappard) 
 
18.  The renovation of the former Crèche is th e only remaining project where the Secretariat 
currently foresees funding requirements.   
19.  The Secretariat is currently studying options for the optimal use in 2013 of the former crèche.   
In spring 2012, basic improvement was done by the Secretariat on the painting of the rooms and the 
floors as well as transfer and installation of exis ting furniture and equipment.  The rooms in the 
former Crèche were transformed into meeting rooms for delegates while undergoing the renovation 
and equipping works of the existing CWR Conference Rooms in the North Wing (A, B, C, D, E, F, and W).     WT/BFA/W/287 
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  20. The Secretariat believes that the Fund bala nce and the expected savings generated on the 
Building Projects would be sufficient to cover any remaining needs.  In addition, under the set 
guidelines for the Fund, the Secretariat would first seek approval from the Committee for any remaining projects.  Further, this account will be closed at the end of the project on 31 December 2013 and any unused funds will be returned to the WTO accounts.    
 
 
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