ITS Southwest Terminal: Seven firms interested in transport terminal

SEVEN FIRMS have expressed interest in bidding for a contract to build the P2.5-billion Integrated Terminal System (ITS) Southwest Terminal, a public-private partnership (PPP) project aimed at easing traffic in Metro Manila.

PPP Center Executive Director Cosette V. Canilao identified the prospective bidders as San Miguel Corp., Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., Ayala Land, Inc., D.M. Wenceslao and Associates Inc., Vicente T. Lao Construction, Egis Projects Philippines, and Robinsons Land Corp., all of which had bought bid documents.

“The list of bidders could still go down as some of the firms might partner with one another to form consortia,” she added.

On offer is a contract to finance, design, construct, operate and maintain the ITS Southwest Terminal under a 35-year concession. The facility, which will be constructed near the Manila-Cavite Expressway, will connect passengers coming from Cavite to Metro Manila transport systems such as the Light Rail Transit Line 1, city buses, taxis and other public utility vehicles.

Bid documents were made available last Jan. 10 for P150,000. A pre-bid conference is scheduled this coming Monday at the Transportation department. Bids should be submitted no later than May 15 and will be opened that same day.

The winning bidder will receive a notice of award by July and signing of the concession agreement has been set for September. Construction is scheduled to start in October and the terminal should be operational by May 2016.

In another development, Ms. Canilao said the government was now hoping to award the P17.5-billion Mactan-Cebu International Airport New Passenger Terminal Project by next week.

“We are about 70% done in conducting the due diligence. We need to exercise due diligence in really checking and counter check the issues raised,” Ms. Canilao said.

The Filinvest-Changi Airports consortium has asked the Transportation department to disqualify the frontrunner, the Megawide-GMR consortium, due to alleged conflict of interest.

Megawide-GMR last month offered the best bid, which included a P14.4-billion premium, for the project. Filinvest-Changi offered a smaller P14-billion premium. A winner was supposed to have been named early January.

The signing of the concessionaire agreement for the P1.72-billion Automatic Fare Collection System project, meanwhile, will be on February 17, Ms. Canilao said, with a losing bidder deciding not to pursue complaints.

The project was awarded last week to the AF Consortium of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and Ayala Corp. but questions have been raised by the SM Consortium.

“I heard TV news quoting an SM spokesperson as saying that they have no plans of taking legal actions,” Ms. Canilao said. “I’m glad that based on the spokesperson’s statements they will not file any legal action.”

Confirmation was not immediately available from the SM Consortium.

Reacting to a petition to stop the impending “privatization” of Philippine Orthopedic Center (POC), meanwhile, Ms. Canilao said the P5.70-billion contract awarded to the Megawide Construction Corp.-World Citi, Inc. consortium would benefit the poor.

“The government still has control over the POC through the contract,” she noted. “The project’s aim is to improve the services to the public, especially the poor.” -- LCSM

source:  Businessworld