DOTC has yet to award P17.5B Mactan-Cebu airport deal

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications on Friday said it has yet to award the multi-billion peso Mactan-Cebu International expansion project.

The DOTC made the statement after reports that its special prequalification, bids and awards committee is ready to award the P17.5-billion project to a particular bidder.

"The DOTC Special PBAC is still settling the issues raised in relation to the qualification and capacity of the involved bidders.  There is no decision yet as to which group will win the contract.  No recommendation has been made to the Secretary," DOTC spokesperson Michael Arthur Sagcal said.

Sagcal added that the special PBAC will make the public announcement once the contract has already been awarded.

"The Special PBAC still intends to close out the issues by the end of this month, but it is being thorough in resolving the matter to ensure that its decision will be in accordance with what the law and the rules alone prescribe," he said.

Sagcal said that procedurally, the Special PBAC should first come up with its recommendation to Secretary Joseph Abaya as to the awarding of the project. 

Should Abaya approve the recommendation, it should then be transmitted to the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority for its own assessment, he said.

The MCIAA Board of Directors will then decide on whether or not to approve such award.  Only after these steps are observed can the concession be considered as having been awarded.

The Special PBAC discusses and debates on the relevant issues throughout the procurement process, to ensure that proper decisions are made. 

From pre-qualification to post-qualification, the Special PBAC reviews the recommendations of the Technical Working Group and its consultants.

In each of the bidding stages, the TWG and the consultants are required to present their findings to the Special PBAC, which then has the opportunity to dissect the summary reports prepared and submitted by the TWG.

All these steps are taken in line with the Build-Operate-and-Transfer Law, which provides for the particular actions required in the conduct of bid activities.