PH, Korea firms to secure LRT 2 consultancy contract

The consultancy contract for the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT 2) extension in Cainta, Rizal, soon may be awarded to a Korean-Filipino group after their lone offer cleared a key hurdle.

The consortium of Foresight Development and Surveying Co., Soosung Engineering Co. Ltd. and Korea Rail Network Authority, last month submitted a P247-million offer for the contract that would cover the civil works component of the P9.7-billion extension project.

The bid is below the P350-million ceiling set by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

Hernando Cabrera, spokesperson for the Light Rail Transit Authority, yesterday said that the technical working group submitted a recommendation in favor of the Foresight-led consortium.

The bids and awards committee will review the recommendation, after which the contract may be issued.

It was the second time that the government tried to auction off the contract. Foresight Development, along with its partners, emerged both times as the only qualified group.

Four other groups were disqualified during the most recent bidding round, an official said. These were Schema Konsult Inc. in partnership with Perconsult International, KE Asia Inc., DCCD Engineering Corp., Key Engineers Co. and Pronconsult Inc.; Systra Philippines, with Philipp’s Technical Consultants Corp.; Science and Vision for Technology Inc., with Yooshin Engineering Corp.; and J.F. Cancio and Associates, with Development and Engineering Management Corp., Engineering and Development Corp., Filipinas Dravo Corp., TCGI Engineers, Urban Integrated Consultants Inc. and Oriental Consultants Co. Ltd.

The project involves the extension of the existing LRT-2 by 4.2 kilometers to the east, or from the Santolan station on Marcos Highway in Pasig to Masinag, Cainta, in Rizal.