R-II Builders wins 2 road projects in Mindanao

R-II Builders has won contracts from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to build roads in Surigao del Sur and Davao Oriental.

The company, one of the biggest construction firms in the country, said the infrastructure projects are designed to improve the land transportation systems in the two Mindanao provinces.

Funding for the projects will come from the World Bank, which has been involved in building vital infrastructure in Mindanao and other poor provinces in the Visayas and Luzon.

The bidding was conducted and supervised by the DPWH’s awards and bids committee. The bidding started last Oct. 23.

For the Surigao del Sur road project, R-II Builders submitted the lowest bid from among 16 pre-qualified companies. Its bid was P511,453,451, about P147 million lower than the second lowest bidder. It was also noted that its bid was lower than the government estimate by P4.5 million.

Apart from road construction, the contract also calls for the installation of the drainage system for the 26.72-km Bacuag-Claver road in Surigao del Sur. The drainge system is designed to prevent floods and protect the roads.

R-II Builders said the conduct of the bidding was most transparent, noting that the DPWH’s control of the bidding was satisfactory, and no participant raised any quesiton about the evaluation and the award made by the DPWH.

Several construction firms joined the bidding for the Surigao del Sur project, including the China Geo/WT Construction Joint Venture which placed second with a bid of P658,658,725.

R-II Builders also won the project for the improvement and widening of the 25.83-km Manay-Mati section in Davao Oriental, along with the construction of two bridges in the area. The company’s bid was P563,459,243.50. Its bid was lower by about P16 million from the government estimate.

For this project, the Wee Eng Construction placed second with a bid of P606,719,494.80, about P43 million higher than the bid of R-II builders.

The World Bank has financed the proejct as part of its program to help improve the transport infrastructure of the country.