DOTC sets ‘appeal fee’ for MRT contract bid

Companies disqualified from bidding for the Metro Rail Transit’s (MRT) automated fare collection system (AFCS) contract have 15 days to file their appeals, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said.

In a bid bulletin published on its website, the DOTC said disqualified bidders had to pay an “appeal fee” of P8.6 million for their cases to be reconsidered.

The nonrefundable fee represents one half of one percent of the project’s estimated cost of P1.72 billion.

“Failure to pay the required appeal fee within the period set… shall cause the appeal to be considered not filed,” the DOTC said the bulletin dated May 21.

Nine companies went through the DOTC’s prequalification process for the project. Only five passed met all the requirements.

The qualified bidders are AF Consortium, led by the Metro Pacific and Ayala groups; Comworks Consortium, which includes Taiwan’s Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp.; E-Trans Solutions Joint Venture Inc. Consortium, which includes Eastwest Banking Corp.; Megawide-Suyen-Eurolink Consortium, which will tap the experience of Singapore’s EZ-Link Pte. Ltd.; and Henry Sy’s SM Consortium.

Among the disqualified firms were conglomerate San Miguel Corp. and MTD-PRLM, led by Malaysia’s MTD Group. Both firms have asked the DOTC to reconsider their disqualification from the bidding process.

The two other disqualified groups are Lamco Consortium and Mega Lucky United.

The San Miguel Transport Solutions consortium was disqualified from the bidding due to the “absence of any discussion on some material points, as well as inadequacy of the discussions on others that were clearly prescribed for QD-13.” Paolo G. Montecillo