The Transportation Department on Tuesday opened the bidding for five regional airports to other groups aside from the five consortiums that passed the qualifications set by the previous administration.
The department posted an invitation to other companies to pre-qualify and bid for the ‘unbundled’ five provincial airport projects. The previously pre-qualified bidders for the ‘bundled’ projects will move on to the next stage of the auction process.
The government is bidding out the five regional airports separately after the National Economic and Development Authority board approved on Nov. 14, 2016 the unbundling of the airport public-private partnership deals.
The five provincial airports include the P20.26-billion Bacolod-Silay International Airport, the P30.4-billion Iloilo International Airport, the P14.62-billion Laguindingan Airport, the P2.34-billion New Bohol (Panglao) Airport and the P40.57-billion Davao International Airport.
Aside from the previously pre-qualified bidders, the project is now also open to new bidders, according to the department.
It said the previously pre-qualified bidders in the bundled projects were also considered pre-qualified in the unbundled projects, as long as there were no changes in their legal, technical and/or financial capacity.
The Aquino administration earlier pre-qualified Maya Consortium led by Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Philippine Airports Consortium of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., San Miguel Holdings Corp.-IIAC Airport Consortium, GMR-Megawide Consortium and Filinvest-JATCO-Sojitz Consortium for the project.
Aboitiz Equity teamed up with Vinci Airports of France to form Maya Consortium, while San Miguel Holdings Corp. tapped Incheon International Airport Corp. to create SMHC-IIAC Airport Corp.
Metro Pacific teamed up with Aeroports de Paris Management SA, while Filinvest tapped Japan Airport Terminal Corp. and Sojitz Corp.
The Transportation Department said the bidding of the five airports would be conducted through a two-stage/two-envelope system under the build-operate-transfer law. Under this process, the bidders are first pre-qualified based on their legal, technical and financial requirements set by the department and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
Only bidders that were pre-qualified could proceed to the next stage of the bidding process where they would submit their technical and financial proposals.
The invitation documents can be purchased by the interested bidders for P300,000.
The winning concessionaires for each airport will handle the operation and maintenance of the airports for 30 years and expand the facilities. Aside from the operation and maintenance, the contract will require the winner to expand the terminal, apron, airside and landside facilities to address future demand.
The improvements are needed to enhance passenger safety and convenience and ensure more efficient airport operations.
