DOTr conducts preliminary evaluation of NAIA bids

MANILA, Philippines — All bidders eyeing the contract to operate and maintain the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have submitted complete documents for their technical proposals, inching them closer to the final round of the selection process.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) conducted yesterday the preliminary evaluation of the technical proposals submitted by the consortiums vying for the concession to manage NAIA.

Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan said that all four groups participating in the bidding hurdled the completion check for their technical proposals.

Afterward, the bidders will wait for 20 days before finding out if they qualify for the third and final round of the procedure.

Batan said the DOTr would release on Feb. 5 the results of the detailed evaluation of the technical proposals.

Passing the technical assessment means that a proponent may file its financial offer, viewed to be the deciding factor in the bidding. Under this, bidders will present how much capital they plan to spend for the rehabilitation of NAIA and the share of the government in revenues.

In an earlier interview with reporters, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said the DOTr would award the contract to the bidder with the highest offer on income share.

So far, the DOTr has managed to keep up with the timetable that it outlined for the privatization of NAIA, on target to release the notice of award on Feb. 15 and sign the concession deal on March 15.

In submitting the technical proposals, the bidders discussed their plans and strategies in running the airport, detailing how the project will be executed and disclosing the risks that may be faced.

Likewise, the consortiums presented their traffic forecast, concept masterplan, initial works, airline strategy, organizational structure and prospective timelines.

They were also instructed to explain the approach they will take in operating and maintaining the NAIA, from the commercial side to employee management.

All in all, the objective of the technical proposal is to show how the bidders plan to accomplish what the government wants for NAIA. The winning bidder for the project will be tasked to double the passenger capacity of the airport to 62 million per annum.

The operator will be given a minimum of 15 years to upgrade the gateway and its facilities, but this could be extended by another 10 years depending on its performance.

The DOTr is processing the proposals pitched by four bidders, namely, the Manila International Airport Consortium, Asian Airport Consortium, GMR Airports Consortium and the San Miguel Corp. SAP & Co. Consortium.