The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said it expects to hold the Swiss Challenge for the upgrade and operations contract for Laguindingan International Airport in northern Mindanao by August 2024.
“We are finalizing the privatization of the Laguindingan airport. The Swiss Challenge will be, I think Aug. 12 or 13,” DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista said Wednesday.
“We’re expecting there will be a Swiss Challenge,” he said.
Swiss Challenge is a form of procurement, usually required in an unsolicited project, to provide other parties an opportunity to challenge the bid of the proponent.
The agency earlier said at least two challengers paid a non-refundable participation fee of P250,000 or $4,500 for the Laguindingan Airport Swiss Challenge.
The airport project is an unsolicited proposal from Aboitiz InfraCapital, accepted by the DOTr and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines following the provisions of Republic Act No. 11966 or the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Code of the Philippines.
The challenge process involves the submission of comparative proposals to finance, design, construct, operate and maintain the Laguindingan International Airport under a 30-year concession period.
The project, one of the infrastructure flagship projects of the national government, aims to enhance connectivity to the Northern Mindanao region which includes the five provinces of Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Lanao del Norte, Bukidnon and Camiguin, along with the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.
The project seeks to define an aviation strategy for new airlines and connections including the development of international flights, expand airport capacity according to market demand, introduce sustainable concepts and enhance passenger experience through operational and environmental improvements.
