The provincial government of Cavite (PGC) yesterday asked local and international firms to submit proposals that will challenge the unsolicited proposal of San Miguel Holdings Corp. (SMHC) for the 27.06-kilometer Cavite-Batangas Expressway (CBEX) project until January 2023.
In a bid bulletin, Renato Abutan, PGC chairman for the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) selection committee, said the bid submission of proposals for the CBEX project is extended to Jan. 24, 2023.
“The JV (joint venture) proposal/bid submission date is hereby adjusted from 12 December 2022 to 24 January 2023, Tuesday, 2:00 P.M. in accordance with the PPP Center’s required timeline of activities and processing of unsolicited proposals for PPP Projects,” Abutan said.
The submission of JV proposals will be at the bids and awards committee office in Trece, Martires City in Cavite.
The challengers must submit their qualification documents and technical and financial proposals as one bid package, and pay a non-refundable participation fee of P1 million, according to the PGC.
Last June, the PGC granted the original proponent status to SMHC giving it the right to proceed with detailed negotiations and if successful, to exercise the right to match the best comparative proposal.
Under the competitive bidding, which has three stages, the first pre-qualification is based on the minimum legal, technical and financial qualification requirements set by the PGC.
In line with the PPP Code, the qualification criteria used in confirming the eligibility of the original proponent will be the same requirements imposed on potential challengers. Only eligible challengers that qualify shall have their technical proposals opened for evaluation.
Then, the original proponent will have the right to match the financial proposal of the highest ranked challenger, according to PCG.
Abutan had said the PGC reserves the right to reject any or all comparative proposals, and other relevant tender or bidding documents, declare a failure of bidding, and not award the contract for any justifiable and reasonable ground where an award will not benefit the province or the government of the Philippines, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected proponents.
The proposal involves financing, design, construction, operation and maintenance of the CBEX, traversing through the municipalities of Silang, Amadeo, Tagaytay, Indang, Mendres, Alfonso in Cavite and Nasugbu in Batangas for a 35-year period.
The toll road will have four lanes with two 3.5-meter lanes per direction. There will be three access/interchange points located in Silang, Cavite, Tagaytay and Nasugbu.
