Gov’t starts bidding process for LRT 2 extension

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has started the bidding process to find the company that will draft the vital detailed engineering design for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) line 2 East Extension.

The department on Tuesday published a request for expressions of interest for the P350-million consultancy services contract for the 4.2-kilometer train line extension—one of the key big-ticket projects of the Aquino administration.

The winning bidder will conduct the detailed engineering design for the new train line section, which will specify the locations of new stations, the exact alignment of train tracks and other minor details of construction.

The consultant to be hired will also supervise the construction of the project and will be partially liable for any defects found within a one-year “defect liability period.”

The DOTC said it would use a “pass-fail” method for the bidding process. Companies will be judged on three areas.

The first will be the “applicable experience of the consultant and members in case of joint ventures, considering both the overall experiences of the firm or, in the case of new firms, the individual experiences of the principal and key staff, including the times when employed by other consultants.” This criterion will have a bearing of 30 percent.

The next is the qualification of personnel who may be assigned to the job vis-a-vis the extent and complexity of the undertaking, which is given a weight of 50 percent.

The last, which will account for the remaining 20 percent, is the current work load and relative capacity of the aspiring company.

Prospective bidders must have a minimum weighted score of 70 to be in the shortlist.

The LRT line 2 East Extension will involve the construction of new tracks from the existing Santolan Station in Pasig City to Sumulong Highway in Masinag, Antipolo, Rizal. Two stations will be added to the line. The extension is expected to increase traffic at the LRT line 2 by 130,000 passengers a day.

The train line, which starts from Recto Avenue in Manila, serves 240,000 commuters a day.

The project was approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Board chaired by President Aquino himself last September. The government expects to spend P9.7 billion on the project and hopes to complete the extension before the end of the current administration in 2016.