Bidding for 2 PPP projects on track – DPWH

MANILA, Philippines - The bidding for two major public private partnership (PPP) projects worth close to P180 billion being undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is on track.

DPWH undersecretary Rafael Yabut said in a text message that the scheduled bid submission deadlines for the P55.15- billion Cavite Laguna expressway (Calax) and the P123-billion Laguna Lakeshore Expressway Dike Project (LLEDP) would push through as originally scheduled.

Yabut said the deadline for the the Calax rebid would push through on May 19 as interested bidders did not seek any extension.

“No request for Calax extension,” he said. Companies that have expressed interest in the tollroad include diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) and Metro Pacific Tollways Development Corp. of infrastructure giant Metro Pacific Investments Corp. as well as companies represented by Reyes Tacondong & Co., and Gatmaytan Yap Patacsil Gutierrez & Protacio law office.

The technical proposals will be opened on June 2 and the financial proposals on June 15. The agency is looking at issuing the notice of award to the winner on July 7.

The DPWH is sticking to the original instruction to prospective bidders (ITPB) including the floor price of P20.105 billion as well as the single-stage qualification and bidding process.

The DPWH has decided to adopt a single stage qualification and bidding for the PPP project in accordance with Section 5.7 of Republic Act 6957 as amended by RA 7718 or the Philippine Build Operate Transfer (BOT) Law.

Malacañang ordered the DPWH to rebid the Calax project after diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) questioned the disqualification of its unit Optimal Infrastructure Development Inc. (OIDI) from the bidding that was held in June last year.

In that bidding, the tandem of conglomerate Ayala Corp. and Aboitiz Land Inc. through Team Orion was declared the winner with an offer of P11.66 billion followed by MPIC’s MP CALA Holdings with P11.33 billion, and Malaysian-owned Alloy MTD Philippines with P922 million.

However, SMC filed an appeal before the Office of the President after OIDI was disqualified from the bidding and its financial proposal containing a bid of P20.105 billion was not opened.

As for the LLEDP,  Yabut said the submission of bids would push through as scheduled on July 6 despite the request for time extension by two bidders.

“So far no extension granted for LLEDP yet. We feel that recent and existing schedules are attainable,” he added.

Qualified bidders for the largest PPP project so far rolled out by the Aquino administration include SMC’s San Miguel Holdings Corp., Team Trident, and Alloy-PAVI Hanshin LLED consortium.

Team Trident or Trident Infrastructure and Development Corp. is composed of Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc., property giant Ayala Land Inc., Megaworld Corp. of taipan Andrew Tan, and SM Prime Holdings Inc. of retail and banking magnate Henry Sy.

On the other hand, the Alloy-PAVI Hanshin LLED Consortium consists of Malaysia’s MTD Group, Prime Asset Venture Inc. of the Villar Group, Korean Hanshin Construction Corp., and Korea Rural Corp.

A fourth group – The Rainbow Consortium – was disqualified by the agency.

The LLEDP involves the construction of a 47-kilometer flood control dike on top of which will be a high speed six-lane expressway starting from Taguig, passing through Muntinlupa and Calamba, and ending in Los Baños at its boundary with Bay, Laguna.

The project includes the reclamation of about 700 hectares of foreshore and offshore areas, west of the dike, in Taguig and Muntinlupa.