SUMMARY
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MANILA, Philippines – The government has again deferred the submission of bids for the Metro Rail Transit line 3 (MRT3) maintenance contract, this time to Tuesday, October 28.
This is the second time the bidding deadline has been moved. The original deadline was October 13, which was moved to October 17.
The new deadline is in response to the bidders’ request to have more time preparing their proposals, Transportation Undersecretary Rene Limcaoco said in a bidding bulletin dated October 10.
The procurement of a longer-term maintenance provider is to ensure that the MRT3 system operates “under safe running conditions and to maintain cost at a minimum level with a reliable system,” Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said in a briefing in September.
In the same briefing, Abaya said the procurement was targeted to begin in September, lasting for 3 years.
The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) prefers a longer maintenance contract, Abaya said. Currently, the DOTC has a one-year contract with its current maintenance provider, Autre Porte Technique Global Inc (APT) and its local partner Global Inc.
The DOTC is only extending the 1-year contract of APT Global, which expired in July, on a monthly basis The contract is renewed for P57 million ($1.27 million*) per month.
The maintenance contractor is currently facing penalties worth P27.1 million ($603.051*) for the glitches that occurred when a train derailed at the Taft Avenue station in Pasay City on August 13.
The maintenance contract bid is one of the 11 MRT3 upgrade projects presented by the DOTC this year.
Among the projects include the acquisition of 48 brand new train cars for the MRT3, with a contract amount of P3.76 billion ($106.32 million*).
The light rail vehicles are to be delivered by CNR Dalian Locomotive and Rolling Stock Co of China every month, beginning September 2015 until the end of 2016.
Temporary shutdown
Malacañang is waiting for Abaya’s recommendation whether or not the MRT3 line needs to temporarily shut down its services, following a DOTC memorandum dated September 4 that a shutdown would be crucial in view of the number of spare rails in its possession.
There are only 2.5 rails available at the MRT3’s depot.
MRT3 spokesperson Hernando Cabrera had said that least 800 pieces of the 12-meter rails are needed to replace the old steel bars in several portions of the 17-kilometer railway from North Avenue, Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City, but the delivery alone would take 5 months.
The Aquino administration is in the middle of a P53-billion ($1.18-billion) equity value buy out of the private shareholders of Metro Rail Transit Corporation (MRTC) for the complete takeover of the mass transit system along EDSA.
The private owner of MRT3 had said they are willing to sell their assets to the government through a compromise agreement. – Rappler.com
*$1=P44.77
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