THE government has extended the deadline for the submission of bids for the P2.5-billion Integrated Transport System (ITS) Southwest Terminal by almost two weeks, a bid bulletin showed.
Transportation Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Jose Perpetuo M. Lotilla said a bidder requested for a 60-day extension in late November, but it was not granted.
The agency, however, allowed for an extension of up to December 12 from December 1.
The tender was initially scheduled on May 15 but was rescheduled to June 16 to give ample time to bidders to finalize their bids. But changes were made in the contract to increase investor appetite, thus forcing the agency to postpone the bidding to August 30.
It was then moved to September 29 but another round of revision on the project structure was made, hence an indefinite postponement.
The government then decided to set the bid submission to December 1, almost a year after the deal was put to the auction block in 2013. The December 12 deadline is expected to be the last postponement of the bid submission date.
Twelve firms are participating in the bidding for the contract to develop a facility to connect passengers coming from Cavite to Metro Manila transportation systems, such as the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1, city buses, taxis and other public-utility vehicles.
The investors are: D.M. Wenceslao and Associates Inc.; Ayala Land Inc. and Ayala Corp.; Metro Pacific Tollways Corp.; San Miguel Corp.; Vicente T. Lao Construction; Egis Projects Philippines; Robinsons Land Corp.; Filinvest Land Inc.; Megawide Construction Corp.; States Properties Corp.; Expedition Construction Corp.; and Altus San Nicolas Corp.
The Southwest Terminal project, which will be constructed in a 2.9-hectare area near the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway (Cavitex), will connect passengers coming from Cavite to urban transport systems in Metro Manila.
It will include a passenger terminal building, arrival and departure bays, public-information systems, ticketing and baggage handling facilities and park-ride facilities.
The government has awarded eight contracts since the infrastructure program’s inception in 2010. It aims to sign at least 15 contracts by the time President Aquino steps down from office in 2016.
The state intends to plug the gap in the country’s transportation infrastructure in the next decade by rolling out massive infrastructure projects that are seen to spur economic growth.