Cebu City, Cordova to Publish Bid for PHP27-B 3rd Cebu-Mactan Bridge on Nov. 18

The Municipality of Cordova and the Cebu City Government are set to publish in a national daily the invitation to bid for the proposed third bridge linking Cebu mainland and Mactan Island on Wednesday, Nov. 18.

They asked the Metro Pacific Tollways Development Corp. (MPTDC), the original proponent of the eight-kilometer PHP27-billion bridge project, to put up a proposal security bond of PHP279 million, also on Wednesday.

Half of the amount will be payable to Cebu City and the other half to Cordova town.

In a letter to MPTDC dated Nov. 12, joint venture selection committee (JV-SC) head Cebu City Administrator Lucelle Mercado said the PHP279-million security bond, which is one percent of the total project cost, will be for the “financing, design, construction, implementation, operation and maintenance of the toll road.”

The payment of a proposal security is in compliance with Cebu City Ordinance 2154, passed in 2008, which sets guidelines and procedures for entering into a joint venture agreement with private entities.

Mercado said the PHP279 million will be returned to MPTDC if there will be a better proposal from other interested bidders.

A copy of the invitation to bid said interested private sector proponents (PSP) should submit their notarized expression of interest (EOI) to submit comparative proposals on or before Dec. 7 to the office of Mercado and the office of Mary Therese Cho, chairperson of the private-public partnership-selection committee (PPP-SC) of Cordova.

The EOI must contain a statement that the PSP has completed a similar project with a minimum capitalization of PHP10 billion.

The PSP should also show that they have access to a credit facility of at least PHP18 billion and then obtain the bidding documents by paying a non-refundable amount of PHP1 million.

The invitation to bid further states that the EOI must contain an undertaking that the PSP will adhere to ordinances, resolutions, policies, pronouncements and qualification criteria set by the JV-SC and the PPP-SC.

It also provides that they “will not seek and obtain a writ of injunction or prohibition or restraining order against the JV-SC or the awards committee and the PPP-SC, Cebu City Government and Municipality of Cordova and its respective officials to prevent or restrain the competitive challenge process, the award and implementation of project.”

In addition, the EOI should provide that the PSP will not lodge any criminal, civil and/or administrative cases against JV-SC, PPP-SC, Cebu City and Cordova.

Interested bidders will have to submit their comparative proposals 30 days from receipt of the notice of eligibility.

The MPTDC, in return, will be given 10 days from receipt of the notice to exercise its right to match, in case there will be a superior offer. (PNA) FFC/EB/EBP