THE auction for the construction of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Clark Phase 2 saw 11 foreign and local companies—teaming up in seven different groups—submitting offers for the three deals under the railway construction program.
Under the P283.8-billion program, the construction of the PNR Clark Phase 2 was divided into three packages, namely: Package 1, which covers the civil works for 17 kilometer of the railway including Calumpit and Apalit Stations; Package 2 for 16 km including San Fernando Station; and Package 3 for 12 km encompassing Angeles and Clark Stations.
The seven different groups are composed of different companies that teamed up for a package or two, and one solely bidding for two contracts.
The participating companies are: Acciona, Daelim, Dong Ah Construction, EEI, Hyundai Engineering and Construction, Italian-Thai Development Plc., Megawide Construction Corp., PT Pembangunan Perumahan Tbk, PT Waskita Karya Tbk, PT Wijaya Karya Tbk and Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Corp. According to the bid parameters of the three-package program’s auction, aside from submitted competitive bids, participants may also offer discounts to the government for multiple projects under the same program.
Based on a live feed of the bidding, Sumitomo teamed up with Italian-Thai Development to bid for the first package. The joint venture submitted a bid of P30.42 billion for the package and offered no discount.
Italian-Thai Development decided to bid for the second and third package alone, offering to undertake the said deals for P15.76 billion and P16.42 billion, respectively, with a 1.5-percent discount should it win both packages.
Acciona and Daelim partnered to bid for the second package with P30.96 billion, and took EEI as another member of their consortium for the third package, to which they submitted P27.85 billion as their bid.
Megawide Construction Corp., Hyundai and Dong Ah all teamed up to vie for the first and second packages, offering P18.06 billion and P14.67 billion, respectively. The team offered a discount of P430.57 million plus another $559,000 should it win the two contracts. Waskita Persero offered P17.20 billion for the third package, while it teamed up with Pembangunan Perumahan and Wijaya for the second package, submitting a bid of P28.03 billion. For both packages, the Indonesian companies offered no discounts to the government.
PNR General Manager Junn B. Magno said the bids will be evaluated for over a month.
“We are undergoing bid evaluation for each of their submitted documents and that will take five to six weeks,” he said in a text message.
Magno added that the turnout of bidders demonstrates the “international infrastructure industry’s support to the “Build, Build, Build” Program of the Duterte administration.”
He said “this vibrant participation from international and local companies is proof that they trust this government and the processes we institute. This is indeed a vote of confidence that we are doing things the right way, and soon, our countrymen will reap the benefits through improved mobility and connectivity.”
PNR Clark Phase 2 is part of the loan extended by the Asian Development Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency to the Philippine government for the construction of the North-South Commuter Railway Project. The said segment of the NSCR will run from Malolos, Bulacan, to Clark, Pampanga, covering a 53-km stretch. It will also feature an express service to the Clark International Airport.
PNR Clark Phase 2 will have a capacity of 340,000 passengers in its opening year in 2022.
Other contracts for NSCR will be auctioned off progressively from September to November. Package 4, which will see the construction of the Clark airport express service, will be auctioned off on October 14, while the rolling stock production deal will be offered starting September.