5 groups eye P24.4-B water project

MANILA, Philippines - Five firms have been prequalified by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) to bid for the P24.4-billion Bulacan Bulk Water Supply (BBWS) project, the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Center announced yesterday. 

The MWSS announced that Team Polaris – Manila Water, First Philippine Holdings Corp. and Abeima Consortium, Filinvest Agua Consortium, SMC – K Water Consortium and Prime Alloy Water Consortium have hurdled the legal, technical and financial requirements under the first stage of the bidding process.

The prequalified consortia would now be invited by the MWSS to submit their formal bids for the MWSS water project.

According to the MWSS Prequalifications, Bids, Awards Committee, the bid documents would be issued to the prequalified bidders at a later date.

“Bidders will be given sufficient time to prepare their technical and financial proposals,” said the PPP Center.

First Philippine Holdings Corp. and Abeima Consortium is composed of First Philippines Holdings Corp. and Spain’s’ Abeinsa Infraestructuras Medio Ambiente, S.A.

The consortium of SMC-K Water has San Miguel Holdings Corp. and Korea Water Resources Corp. as partners.

The Filinvest Agua Consortium is a team up between Filinvest

Development Corp. and another Spanish group, Tecnicas De Desalinizacion De Aguas, S.A. (Spain), while Prime Alloy Water Consortium is a partnership between Prime Water Infrastructure Corp., Malaysian-based MTD Capital BHD and UK’s Biwater International Ltd.

Originally, the project attracted 15 prospective bidders that included Manila Water (Philippines, Marubeni (Japan) Filinvest (Philippines), First Balfour (Philippines), Abengoa (Spain), Megawide (Philippines), San Miguel (Philippines), Maynilad Water Services, Inc.(Philippines), New San Jose Builders, Inc. (Philippines), Sojitz Corp.(Japan), Korea Water Resources Corp.(Korea), Prime Water Infrastructure Corp (Philippines), Datem Water, Inc. (Philippines), Acciona Agua (Spain)n and Aboitiz Equity Ventures (Philippines).

The Bulacan Bulk Water project aims to address the water supply requirements of more than 22 municipalities in the province of Bulacan, while minimizing ground water extraction which has adverse impact to the environment.

The project intends to supply treated bulk water to water districts in the province through the construction, operation and maintenance of facilities for treatment and conveyance of treated water.

The contract for the project would be awarded through a competitive public biding using performance or output-based approach in accordance to the revised build-operate-and-transfer law.

The project would be executed with the MWSS under a 30-year build-operate-transfer contract.

The winning bidder would undertake the financing, detailed design, construction, including the maintenance of the conveyance facility, treatment facilities as well as the water source.