Super consortium back in NAIA bidding battle

MANILA, Philippines — The super consortium that had earlier proposed to rehabilitate the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) may participate in the bidding for the P170.6 billion contract to operate and maintain the gateway.

In a statement, MIAC said it secured a copy of the bidding documents from the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for the operations and maintenance of NAIA.

However, the consortium of six major conglomerates and a foreign partner clarified that it has yet to decide whether it will join the bidding, saying it will assess the provisions first.

“The Manila International Airport Consortium confirms that it has obtained a copy of the bidding documents for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport PPP [public-private partnership] project. We are currently assessing these to determine the consortium’s next steps,” MIAC said.

MIAC had submitted an unsolicited proposal, amounting to P267 billion, to upgrade NAIA. The group, however, failed to secure approval to proceed with its undertaking as the DOTr decided to solicit proposals from the private sector.

In July, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board approved the P170.6 billion project to operate and maintain NAIA through a PPP setup.

The NEDA Board wants the future operator of NAIA to almost double the passenger capacity of the gateway to 62 million per year from 32 million at present.

The concessionaire will be granted a period of 15 years, expandable by 10 years, to complete all of the projects that will be required of it.

In August, the DOTr issued the invitation to bid for private firms interested in competing for the NAIA deal. The agency will conduct a single-stage bidding process wherein all parties, whether Filipino or foreign, are allowed to join for as long as they meet the qualifications.

The DOTr mandates every participant to hold a net worth of at least P20 billion to prove financial strength. The agency also requires bidders to obtain a letter from a local or foreign bank authorized by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas affirming their creditworthiness.

Likewise, firms eyeing to take part in the bidding for NAIA must have operated an international airport with a passenger traffic of 25 million per annum for at least three consecutive years prior.

Bidders that meet this requirement are prohibited from being an operator for any of the airports in the Greater Capital Region: Clark International Airport, New Manila International Airport and Sangley Point International Airport.