CALAX project attracts ‘big guns’

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) received yesterday proposals from four prequalified bidders for the P35.4 billion Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) project.

Submitting their technical bids were: MPCALA Holdings, which is led by Metro Pacific Tolllways Development Corp. (MPTDC), a unit of listed Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC); Optimal Infrastructure Development Inc., which is led  by San Miguel Corp. (SMC); Team Orion, which consists of Ayala Corp. and Aboitiz Group; and  Alloy MTD Philippines.

“We prequalified four bidders and all submitted their bids,” DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson said.

He said the agency checked yesterday the legal and technical bids and is set to issue a bid bulletin scheduling the opening the financial bids on Friday.

“We hope to be able to open the financial (bids) by Friday,” he explained

DPWH Undersecretary Rafael Yabut said the agency’s Special Bids and Awards Committee together with the Technical Working Group would review the legal and technical proposals to determine the compliance of the four prequalified bidders.

The agency earlier issued Supplemental Bid Bulletin 32 containing the changes to the instruction to bidders for the PPP project.

A major revision requires bidders to submit a bid in the form of the viability gap funding (VGP) or subsidy not to exceed P5 billion or the amount that would be paid to the government as concession payment.

This was in sharp contrast to the original guidelines wherein the basis for the bid was the toll fee per kilometer for Class 1 vehicles in 2018.

In case of bids in the form of concession payments the agency said it would not impose a ceiling on the amount to be submitted by the bidders.

Under the revised guidelines of the DPWH, bidders who would offer a premium instead of asking for a subsidy would likely win the PPP project.

The Aquino government is doing everything it could to avoid paying subsidy for major infrastructure projects to generate much needed savings.

The DPWH pointed out that bidders who would submit a combination of both VGP and concession payment as well as conditional bids would be disqualified.

Singson said the DPWH hopes to award the project within the month.

“Well hopefully within this month,” he said.