MPIC, Ayala, SMC units to bid for CALA project

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has prequalified three groups  and gave another group three days to comply with the requirement for the P35.4-billion Cavite-Laguna (CALA) expressway project.

DPWH assistant secretary Eugenio Pipo Jr. told The STAR that the agency’s bids and awards committee (BAC) has prequalified MPCALA Holdings Inc. led by Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), the Ayala-led Team Orion, and Optimal Infrastructure Development Inc. of diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp.

“All these three groups qualified for the project,” he said in a telephone interview.

However, Pipo said the committee gave AlloyMTD Capital three days to clarify submissions for construction experience and design contractor.

He pointed out that the company needs to produce a certification that it has construction experience for a similar project worth at least P10 billion.

Likewise, he added that the company failed to specify a design contractor.

“We are giving them three days after which we will decide,” he said.

All the four groups submitted prequalification documents last Oct. 23.

MPIC’s Metro Pacific Tollways Development Corp. partnered with Leighton Contractors (Philippines) Inc. to form MPCALA Holdings Inc. while AlloyMtd is the merger between MTD  of Malaysia and Alloy.

Team Orion is led by AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp. that tied up with Cebu-based Aboitiz Group, Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings Philippines as well as contractors Bouygues Travaux, Egis Road Operations and Korea Expressway Corp.

SMC, on the other hand, is represented by Optimal Infrastructure Development.

Prior to the submission of bids, a total of 18 companies expressed interest in the project.

Aside from those that submitted prequalification documents, other firms that expressed  interest included Megawide Engineering Excellence, the joint venture of Tokwing Construction Corp. and STX Enterprises; the EFC Enterprises; M/s IL&FS Transportation Networks Ltd. (ITNL) as well as the L&T Infrastructure Development Projects Ltd.

The DPWH earlier extended the deadline for the submission of prequalification documents by one month to give prospective bidders more time to prepare.

Pipo said the pre bid conference is scheduled on Nov. 19

He added that prequalified bidders will have one-on-one from Nov. 25 to Nov. 29.

He said submission of technical and financial bids is scheduled on Jan. 20 next year.

The CALA expressway is the third project of the DPWH under the PPP scheme. With a cost of P35.42 billion, it is so far the biggest PPP project in terms of project cost and involves the financing, design and construction, operation and maintenance of the closed-system tolled expressway connecting the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and the Manila-Cavite Tollroad expressway (Cavitex).

The 47-kilometer expressway would start from the Cavitex in Kawit, Cavite and end at the SLEX-Mamplasan Interchange in Biñan, Laguna. It would consist 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.