MCA-P inks $4.1-M mgm't contract with eng'g firm

MANILA, Philippines - Millennium Challenge Account-Philippines (MCA-P) has signed with Katahira Engineers International (KEI) a $4.1-million contract for the project management and construction supervision services for the Secondary National Roads Development Project (SNRDP) under the Philippine Compact with Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC).

The contract was awarded following an open and international competitive bidding process in which 10 bidders participated. KEI will assist MCA-P and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in managing the road project and ensuring that it is completed on time and to high engineering standards.

MCA-P managing director and chief executive officer Ma. Victoria E. Añonuevo said the contract award signifies a shift to high gear the implementation of the 222-kilometer road rehabilitation project in Eastern Samar and Western Samar, two of the poorest provinces in the Philippines.

“This is one of our first major contracts awarded and demonstrates MCA-P’s commitment to mobilizing the road project efficiently, on time and with transparency” Añonuevo said.

SNRDP is one of the three projects being funded by MCC, a United States foreign aid agency focusing on poverty reduction in country-beneficiaries like the Philippines. Out of the $434 million MCC grant, the road project is getting $214.4 million. It is expected to accrue economic benefits by lowering vehicle operating costs, saving transportation time, and improving access to commercial opportunities and social services.

KEI is an independent international engineering consulting firm based in Tokyo, Japan with over 20 years of international development experience behind it.

In the Philippines, KEI has done a number of major projects, some of which are the Metro Manila Interchange Construction Project, Metro Cebu Development Project Phase III, Pan-Philippine Highway Rehabilitation Project, LRT Line-1 Capacity Expansion and Line-2 Construction Project, and the Second Mandaue-Mactan Bridge Construction Project.