First Holdings, Metro Pac vie for Subic-Clark-Tarlac tollway

Lopez-owned First Philippine Holdings Corp. (FPHC) and Hong Kong based conglomerate Metro Pacific Investments Corp. will compete for the right to operate and manage the Subic-Clark Tarlac Expressway.

Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) Project Manager for Operations and Management and Business Development Bambi Andal said that so far FPHC with Tollways Management Corp (TMC) and Metro Pacific with Africa Israel Investments Philippines Inc. are the two companies which prequalified because they were able to comply with all the requirements.

She said other companies signified their interest to manage the expressway but so far the two companies are the only ones who pre-qualified.  

According to Andal, they will wait for the qualified companies to submit their proposal for both the technical and the financial components of the road project. FPHC and Metro Pacific must submit their proposals by Feb. 20.

First to be studied is the technical component. "This would determine if they fail or pass," she said. She explained that the first envelope will be opened in front of the bidders.

A technical committee will evaluate the viability of the technical component of the proposal. The evaluators will have to consider the toll collection system, support services and manpower.   The entire exercise will take seven days to complete.

After this, the financial side will be evaluated. A ceiling of 12.2 percent was set for financial sharing.

The tentative awarding date is March 21.

BCDA financed the construction of the 93.77-kilometer expressway through a P21-billion loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

The companies are bidding for the 10-year operations and management contract of the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway. The contract covers toll collection, traffic management, roadway maintenance, general administration, greening and landscaping.