DOTr mulls offers for EDSA busway

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) would have to choose whether to accept an unsolicited proposal or conduct an open bidding for the operations and maintenance of the EDSA busway.

The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center is wrapping up the review process for an unsolicited offer, pitched by Megawide Construction Corp., to operate and maintain the EDSA busway.

However, PPP Center deputy executive director Jeffrey Manalo said the DOTr, as the implementing agency, has to decide the course of the project as soon as possible.

There is a possibility that the DOTr may solicit fresh proposals from the private sector for an open bidding. To recall, the agency entered into a technical assistance agreement with the PPP Center last year.

The deal requires the PPP Center to provide project preparation and transaction advisory services to the DOTr, funded by the Project Development and Monitoring Facility (PDMF). The goal is to come up with a feasibility study to be delivered by midyear.

“We will be following up with them because the DOTr needs to decide whether they will proceed to the next stage or return the proposal,” Manalo said.

If the solicited route is chosen, the DOTr has to return the unsolicited offer made by Megawide to clear the path for an open bidding.

However, the DOTr has to direct the PPP Center to stop its ongoing study if it intends to approve the unsolicited route.

Likewise, the PPP Center must be reimbursed for whatever amount it has spent in developing the feasibility study as mandated by the guidelines for the use of PDMF.

In April, Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan hinted that the DOTr may swerve the solicited route for the operations and maintenance of the EDSA busway. He said the contract for the project may be bid out by 2025.

For Megawide, controlling the EDSA busway will bolster its transport business, especially as the loop ends in the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX). Megawide built and operates the PITX, which can accommodate up to 200,000 passengers daily.