DOTC resets bid submission deadline for Davao port, LRT 1 projects

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportationand Communications( DOTC) has set a new bid submission date for public private partnership (PPP)deal ssuchasthe Davao Sasa Port Modernization Project and the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 2 Operations and Maintenance Project amid requests from pre-qualified groups. The DOTC said in General Bid Bulletin 13-2015 it has moved the bid proposals submission date for the P18.99 billion Davao Sasa Port Modernization Project to Feb. 26, 2015 from Jan. 11, following “numerous requests from pre-qualified bid- ders and in order to give the pre-qualified bidders more time to conduct technical, financial and legal due diligence.”

The Davao Sasa Port Modernization project covers the development of the existing Davao Sasa Port into a modern international-standard container terminal to improve trade access to Mindanao and the Philippines.

The private partner will be responsible for financing the construction and modernization of the existing port and handle the operations and maintenance of the facility.

Despite the move of the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Davao to approve a resolution opposing the bidding of the project citing the lack of consultation with stake- holders, PPP Center executive director Cosette Canilao is hopeful the benefits of the deal would be taken into account.

“I think it is very clear in the existing Build-Operate-Transfer Law, it’s very clear in the implementing rules and regulations how national government interacts with local government especially for national projects. Again, we just have to follow the rule of law for that one,” she said.

The groups pre-qualified to bid for the port project are Asian Terminals Inc. – DP World FZE Consortium; Bollore Africa Lo- gistics; International Container Terminal Services Inc.; Portek International Pte. Ltd. – National Marine Corp. Consortium with contractor Toyo Construction Co. Ltd.; and San Miguel Holdings Corp. – APM Terminals Management (Singapore) Pte Ltd. Consortium with contractors Hyundai Development Co. and Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co. Ltd.

As for the LRT Line 2 Operations and Maintenance Project, the DOTC said in General Bid Bulletin 21-2015 the new deadline for the submission of bids has been moved to Jan. 26, 2016 from an initial schedule of December 2015 due to the request for extension by most of the pre-qualified bidders.

The project is expected to provide private sector efficiencies into the operations of the LRT Line 2 covering Santolan station in Pasig City until Recto station in Manila, to provide better service to the riding public.