DOTC: No Winner Yet For Mactan-Cebu Airport PPP Project

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is correcting a report following yesterday’s Invest Transport PH market sounding activity, which claimed that its Special Prequalification, Bids, and Awards Committee (PBAC) appears ready to award the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Development Project concession to a particular bidder.

“The DOTC Special PBAC is still settling the issues raised in relation to the qualification and capacity of the involved bidders. There is no decision yet as to which group will win the contract. No recommendation has been made to the Secretary,” said DOTC Spokesperson

Michael Arthur Sagcal.

“The Special PBAC still intends to close out the issues by the end of this month, but it is being thorough in resolving the matter to ensure that its decision will be in accordance with what the law and the rules alone prescribe. In any case, the DOTC will make an official announcement once the award is made,” he added.

Procedurally, the Special PBAC should first come up with its recommendation to Secretary Joseph “Jun” Abaya as to the awarding of the project. Should Abaya approve this recommendation, the same should then be transmitted to the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) for its own assessment.

The MCIAA Board of Directors will then decide on whether or not to approve such award. Only after these steps are observed can the concession be considered as having been awarded.

The Special PBAC discusses and debates on the relevant issues throughout the procurement process, to ensure that proper decisions are made. From pre-qualification to post-qualification, the Special PBAC reviews the recommendations of the Technical Working Group (TWG) and its consultants.

In each of the bidding stages, the TWG and the consultants are required to present their findings to the Special PBAC, which then has the opportunity to dissect the summary reports prepared and submitted by the TWG.

All these steps are taken in accordance with the Build-Operate-and-Transfer (BOT) Law, which provides for the particular actions required in the conduct of bid activities.