Bid submission for integrated transport PPP project delayed anew

The Department of Transportation and Communication has delayed anew the bid submission date for its first Integrated Transport System (ITS) public private partnership (PPP) deal, known as the ITS-Southwest Terminal, by another 10 days to Dec. 22.

Transportation Undersecretary Jose Perpetuo Lotilla said in a text message that the extension was requested by bidders “to have more time to prepare bids.”

Lotilla said this would be the final extension for the project that was rolled out in December last year.

Several groups have purchased bid documents for the P2.5-billion project located near the Manila-Cavite Expressway of Metro Pacific Investments Corp.

The department said 16 companies acquired bid documents for the ITS-Southwest deal, designed to create intermodal hubs where provincial buses would disembark passengers to transfer to other in-city modes of transport such as elevated railways, city buses and UV Express vans. The move was aimed at easing congestion in Metro Manila.