DOTC to tap consultant for Manila bus rapid transit system

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is looking for a consultant to undertake a detailed engineering design for a bus rapid transit in Metro Manila.

In a published request for expression of interest, the DOTC is inviting interested consultants for the detailed engineering design for the Manila bus rapid transit system that would run along Quirino highway to Manila City Hall.

The DOTC said the consultant would provide the detailed engineering design, cost estimation, and prepare the bidding documents for the construction and procurement of goods and consulting services for the Manila — Quezon Avenue BRT project.

The DOTC said the corridor is a main strategic transport route cutting diagonally through the upper half of Metro Manila that is not currently served by any form of mass transit.

It added that the corridors strategic importance and its connections with the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), and the Philippine National Railways (PNR), together with its high volume of travel would make it a vital mass transit route.

The transport system with around 300 buses, will serve an estimated 279,476 total passengers daily when it will be launched in 2018. It would consist of 32 stations and a bus would be made available at each station every two to five minutes.

The Philippine government received financing from the World Bank for the Cebu BRT project and it intends to apply part of the proceeds to fund the consulting services for the detailed engineering design of the Manila BRT project.

To qualify, the DOTC said interested companies should have experience in construction design for the last 10 years and should have entered into at least two similar contracts for the last five years.