Few takers for P6.3-B rail loop project – LRTA

Only four groups joined the pre-qualification process for the bidding for the P6.3 billion Light Rail Transit-Metro Rail Transit (LRT-MRT) loop project, according to Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) officials.

LRTA administrator Melquiades Robles said though there was a dearth of contractors that pre-qualified for the bidding, they are satisfied that they conducted a fair and transparent process that ensured the LRTA was knowledgeable about the status of the companies that wanted to participate in the project.

He told The STAR that the few joint venture groups that were pre-qualified only had to submit a complete set of documents in a checklist issued by the LRTA bids and awards committee.

 “Many did not submit the required documents,” Robles said.

Only three out of eight groups that bought eligibility documents submitted their bids for the LRT-MRT loop project’s Package A1 last Wednesday. They are D.M. Consunji (DMCI)-First Balfour joint venture; FF Cruz-Filipinas joint venture; and Leighton-A.M. Oreta Construction. Of the three, only DMCI-First Balfour was pre-qualified.

For Package A2, DMCI-First Balfour and Cavite Ideal construction with F.F. Cruz-Filipinas joint venture were pre-qualified. The Leighton-A.M. Oreta joint venture submitted documents but was not pre-qualified.

The F.F. Cruz group has expressed its intention to file a motion for reconsideration.

In last Friday’s pre-qualification for Package B, Robles said DMCI-First Balfour was again pre-qualified along with F.F. Cruz-Filipinas group.

Robles said they were scheduled to hold the pre-qualification for Package C in January. The pre-qualification process conducted this week is the second one conducted by LRTA after the first process failed to get a single pre-qualified bidder for Packages A and B and only one pre-qualified group, DMCI-First Balfour, for Package C last November.

Robles said that the LRTA will recommend the acceptance of the results of the second round of pre-qualification despite having only one pre-qualified bidder for Package A1.

“It would be unfair to these groups if we hold another pre-qualification when they have done their best to prepare for the process so they can pass it,” he said.

The project’s Package A involves the foundation and viaduct construction component and Package B involves the station construction. Package C involves the electro-mechanical components of the rail line extension project.

Cesar Chavez, LRTA bids committee chairman, said they strictly followed the non-discretionary pass or fail criteria provided by Republic Act 9184 or the government procurement law in the pre-qualification process for the MRT-LRT loop project.

The LRTA also made sure to have observers from the Office of the Ombudsman, the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission and the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines watch the whole process.

The LRTA timetable for the LRT-LRT loop project, connecting LRT Line 1 at its Monumento Avenue end-station in Caloocan City with the MRT at its end station in North Avenue, Quezon City through the construction of three stations along EDSA, sets the completion of the project by April 2010.