DOTC sets meet with LRT bidders

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is meeting with the four qualified bidders for the P60-billion LRT Line 1 Cavite extension project through April 30.

The four qualified bidders are the groups of DMCI Holdings Inc., Light Rail Manila Consortium, SMC Infra Resources, Inc. and MTD Samsung Consortium.

“The conferences will give bidders the chance to bring up their questions and comments on the draft Concession Agreement, which will eventually be awarded to the winning bidder,” the DOTC said Friday in a statement.

This will enable the bidders to better prepare their respective bid proposals, which are due for submission on June 17, the agency said.

“Having a clear understanding of the Concession Agreement’s provisions will help the qualified bidders come up with the most competitive proposals for the project,” the DOTC said.  “This series of conferences with the SBAC (Special Bids and Awards Committee) also gives our investors the assurance that the government is determined to prepare a fair and unassailable contract,” it added.

The LRT1 project is in the “most advanced stage” of procurement among the DOTC’s three public private partnership projects being auctioned off by the government.

DOTC began the pre-qualification stage of bidding for the P1.72-billion Automatic Fare Collection System (AFCS), and the P17.5-billion Mactan-Cebu International Airport.

Both projects drew widespread interest from local conglomerates and their foreign partners.

Nine groups submitted their qualification documents for the AFCS project on April 12 while the Mactan-Cebu Airport Project drew seven groups during the pre-qualification process.