Mactan airport contract awarding set in Jan ’14

The P17.5–billion deal to expand and operate Cebu’s main airport is set to be awarded by Jan. 14 next year, according to the Department of Transportation and Communications.

All seven prequalified groups submitted bids for the Mactan-Cebu International Airport development on Thursday, showcasing strong demand for the government’s first airport public private partnership deal.

The next step is for the DOTC bids and awards committee to review the technical proposals over the next 20 days, or by Dec. 18. The financial proposals, also submitted on Thursday, will be opened on Dec. 19 and will be reviewed before the final results are presented on Jan. 14 next year.

Cebu is the country’s second-biggest hub outside Metro Manila.

The expansion of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, which is running beyond normal capacity, calls for the construction of a new world-class international passenger terminal building with a capacity of about eight million passengers a year.

The airport was designed to handle 4.5 million passengers per year but as of 2012, it accommodated about 6.8 million passengers. Miguel R. Camus