6 firms line up to bid for Kaliwa Dam project

MANILA, Philippines - The P18.72 billion New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam project (NCWS-KDP) of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) has attracted six bidders, which include conglomerate San Miguel Corp., the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center announced yesterday.

San Miguel Holdings Corp. and five other prospective bidders, namely Leighton Contractors, Abeinsa Infraestructuras (Abeima), Armando U. Khong Hun General Contractor, Datem Inc. and Pan Pacific Renewables Power Phils. Corp. bought prequalification documents for the project.

The private partner for NCWS-KDP would be responsible for the designing, financing, and construction of the Kaliwa Dam and the raw water conveyance structure.

Under a build-transfer contractual arrangement, the government would pay the private partner with fixed annual amortization over 25 years.

Interested groups would have until Sept. 16 to submit their pre-qualification documents. Once prospective bidders have pre-qualified, the MWSS would invite them to submit their technical and financial bids.

MWSS has republished the Invitation to Pre-Qualify and Bid following the disqualification of the three prospective bidders due to non-compliance with prequalification requirements.

Competitive public bidding would be conducted in accordance with Republic Act 7718 or the Amended Philippine BOT Law and its Implementing Rules and Regulations.

The PPP project aims to ensure long-term water security in Metro Manila and nearby provinces by increasing raw water supply to meet future potable water demand.