7 groups seen bidding for Mactan PPP project

Most bidders are set to submit their offers Thursday for the Aquino administration’s first airport public-private partnership (PPP) deal, the P17.5-billion Mactan-Cebu International Airport, based on interviews with the seven prequalified groups this week.

The six groups that confirmed their intent to submit bids are MPIC-JGS Airport Consortium, led by businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan’s Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and Gokongwei-led JG Summit Holdings; San Miguel-Incheon Airport consortium; SM Group’s Premier Airport Group; the Lopez family’s First Philippine Airports; GMR-Megawide; and Filinvest-CAI, led by the Gotianun family’s Filinvest Group, their respective officials told the Inquirer.

AAA Airport Partners, led by the Ayala and Aboitiz Groups, was in the process of finalizing its bid, Ayala Corp. managing director John Eric Francia said in an e-mail Tuesday night.

Michael Sagcal, a spokesman for the Department of Transportation and Communications, said financial and technical bids would be submitted Thursday. Only the technical documents would be opened although it would take the department 20 days to evaluate these, he said, after which the financial bids would be opened.

All told, it would take at least 35 days before awarding, under the Build operate and transfer Law, Sagcal said.

To meet the operations and management experience requirement, MPIC-JGS tapped Aeroports de Lyon; AAA partnered with Houston Airport System; Filinvest-CAI tapped Singapore’s Changi Airport Saudi Ltd.; San Miguel signed up Incheon International Airport Corp.; First Holdings hired Wellington International Airport Ltd., NZ Airports Ltd. and Infantil Ltd.; Premier Airport tapped Flughafen Zurich AG; and GMR-Megawide partnered with Delhi International Airport and GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd.

Several key improvements to the project’s terms were approved by the Neda board, making it more attractive to bidders and encouraging more competitive proposals.—Miguel R. Camus