Prequalification for LRT-6 bids moved to May 12

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has moved the submission of prequalification documents for the P65.09 billion Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 6 project to May 12 following requests for extension by interested bidders.

The indicative timeline issued by the DOTC in December last year showed March 4, as the initial date for the submission of the prequalification documents for the project.

During the prequalification conference for the LRT 6 held last month, the DOTC presented a new indicative timeline which showed April 5, 2016 as the deadline for the submission of the pre-qualification documents.

Among the firms that have purchased bid documents for the LRT 6 project are Metro Pacific Investments Corp.’s (MPIC) unit Metro Pacific Light Rail Corp. and San Miguel Corp.’s San Miguel Holdings Corp.

Earlier, Karim Garcia, MPIC vice president for business development said the company has concerns over the bidding schedule of the project with the elections taking place in May.

 “Every time there is change in administration, businesses take cautious stance, right? Our country is not very good in continuity of government. When the new administration comes, there are always changes, especially if the administration is opposed to the previous,” Garcia said.

Aside from uncertainties with a new administration set to take over, he said companies usually need at least six months to study the risks of a project and determine if it is worthwhile to participate in the pre-qualification and bidding process.

DOTC assistant secretary Jamie Caringal has said the agency is confident the PPP program would be pursued by the next administration given the private sector’s interest to invest and participate in the implementation of the deals.