Public-Private Partnership Center

“Two submitted [bids]: South Express Link Consortium … [and] Ayala Corp.,” Public Works Secretary Rogelio L. Singson said in a text message yesterday.

South Express Link Consortium is made up of Star Infrastructure Development Corp., the operator of the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road, and Optimal Infrastructure Development, Inc., a unit of San Miguel.

Ayala and South Express officials were not immediately available for comment.

“The other prequalified [consortiums] decided not to submit,” Mr. Singson added as the deadline for the submission of bid documents closed at 10 a.m. yesterday.

Aside from the two firms, the D. M. Consunji, Inc.-C.M. Pancho Construction, Inc. consortium had prequalified to bid for the project, Public Works director Rebecca T. Garsuta said in a telephone interview.

“There were 20 firms and consortia that submitted expressions of interest for the project, out of which six submitted pre-qualification documents,” Ms. Garsuta said.

“Out of the six, only three prequalified for bidding, and out of these three, two have submitted — Ayala and South Express Link.”

Based on a schedule posted by the Public Works department on its website, the evaluation of technical proposals will be done on Dec. 19 while evaluation of financial proposals will be on Dec. 21.

The issuance of a notice of award has been scheduled for Dec. 28 as construction is expected to commence in February next year, lasting until July 2013.

Ms. Garsuta said the bidding would be declared a failure should both firms’ technical proposals fail to meet requirements.

“If one of the technical proposals meet the bidding parameters, the financial proposal will be opened and a negotiation is also possible in this case,” she said.

The Daang Hari-SLEX link, expected to be operational by August 2013, involves a four-kilometer, four-lane thoroughfare that will link Bacoor, Cavite to the SLEX via Susana Heights. It includes two overpasses, four local roads, one undercrossing, a rotunda and drainage structures.

If awarded before the year ends, the project would be the first PPP project to be successfully bid out by the government, which in 2010 touted the infrastructure program as boosting growth this year.

Protracted reviews and leadership changes at concerned agencies led to delays and President Benigno S. C. Aquino III recently said the first project could only be awarded starting next year.

Officials insist the administration remains committed to the centerpiece program, declaring that the bidding process for 15 projects would begin next year