Aboitiz, PPDIC dispute right to energize Subic

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has received only two bids for the right to distribute power within the Subic Freeport.

According to SBMA Chairman Felicito C. Payumo, only Aboitiz Equity Ventures and the Philippine Power Distributors Investments Corp. (PPDIC) submitted bids during the qualification proceedings.

Payumo said Aboitiz and PPDIC presented documents of their previous projects, financial capabilities and other legal aspects.

If both bidders qualify, the SBMA technical evaluation committee would then open the second sealed envelope which should contain proposals on specific technical designs. It should include the planned quality and efficiency system to improve the more than 40 year old power supply system installed and used by the US military when they were still using Subic as a naval base.

The SBMA technical evaluation committee will announce March 17 its recommendation on the merits of qualification of the bidders.

The committee will open the third bid envelope on the first week of April. The third envelope should contain the vital financial proposals that would ensure lower distribution charges from the current P1 per kilowatt rate being imposed by SBMA on top of the power generation and transmission charges. – Marianne Go