DPWH to shortlist bidders for P35.4-B tollroad proj

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is set to shortlist the bidders for the proposed P35.4-billion expressway that would link the provinces of Cavite and Laguna in September.

DPWH undersecretary Rafael Yabut said the agency’s Special Bids and Awards Committee (SBAC) has invited local and international companies to bid for the financing, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the Cavite Laguna expressway project.

Yabut said the CALA project would be undertaken as a “pure” public private partnership (PPP) project wherein the winning proponent would have to construct the entire 47-kilometer toll road.

Under the original proposal approved by the board of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) last Jan. 18, the winning bidder would construct only 28.9 kilometers from Manila-Cavite Toll expressway (Cavitex) in Kawit to Aguinaldo Highway in Cavite while the government would construct the remaining 18.9 kilometers to be funded through concessional official development assistance (ODA) funds.

He pointed out that interested bidders would have until Sept. 23 to submit their prequalification documents for the project.

According to him, the Instructions to Prospective Bidders and the Information Memorandum would be available to interested parties starting Friday until Sept. 20.

Yabut said bidders are first pre-qualified based on minimum legal, technical, and financial requirements as contained in the first envelope that would be submitted on or before Sept. 23.

 â€œOnly bidders who pre-qualify shall be permitted to submit bids for the project,” he stressed.

Companies that have expressed interest in the project include diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC), listed holding firm Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) of businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan, and conglomerate Ayala Corp.

The proposed expressway project is a four-lane 47 kilometer closed-system tolled expressway that would start from the Cavitex in Kawit, Cavite and end at the South Luzon expressway (SLEX) at the Mamplasan interchange in Biñan, Laguna.

The project also involves the construction of nine interchanges in Kawit, Daang Hari, Governor’s Drive, Aguinaldo Highway, Silang, Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay, Laguna Blvd., Technopark, and a toll barrier before SLEX.

The proposed expressway would provide a more convenient and faster route to or from Metro Manila to the Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon (Calabarzon) region and help decongest traffic on the existing road network in the Cavite and Laguna area and at the same time reduce travel time to Metro Manila.

The tollroad would also serve as a connector between the existing and operational Cavitex and SLEX and improve the competitiveness of Region IV-A or the Calabarzon as an investment destination.

The DPWH believes that the provinces of Cavite and Laguna are now considered as among the most industrialized and urbanized areas in the country as both have been home to international and multinational electronic, semiconductor, automotive and manufacturing companies.