The agency announced earlier that it is inviting shipping lines and port operators to bid for the operation and management of NCT-2, which has an annual cargo-handling capacity of 300,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
However, SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza clarified on Friday that the Port Commercialization project would have to wait until after formal bidding notices are published in international and national publications.
“This requirement somewhat deferred the bidding process, but this is necessary because we want to ensure that international players are duly informed so that they could participate,” Arreza said.
“We’re going to announce as soon as possible when bid documents would be available. Most probably, that will be by February next year,” he added.
According to the SBMA Project Management Office, which was supposed to hand out bid documents to interested parties starting December 9, it has received a lot of inquiries from foreign embassies and global port operators after news on the NCT-2 bidding came out.
“This is very good news to the SBMA, but regrettably the bidders would have to wait awhile until the Special Bids and Awards Committee (SBAC) for Port Commercialization completes this particular requirement,” Arreza said.
Arreza said that to be eligible in the bidding, the bidder should be an operator of an international container shipping line or a consortium of operators of international shipping lines.
He added that the bidder should be currently operating an international container port terminal that handles at least 2 million TEUs per year, or has an operating capacity of 100,000 TEUs, a figure which could be combined for a bidding consortium.
As for financial qualifications, Arreza said the bidders should be able to submit audited financial statements for the last five years; a sworn statement that there has been no materials change in the financial condition since the last audited financial statement; and letters of testimonials from reputable banks that the bidder is banking with them.
The NCT-2 has 14 hectares of newly constructed container yard, a 280-meter long newly constructed wharf, two units of 53-ton quay gantry cranes, as well as related buildings and equipment.
The contract for the NCT-2 operation and management (O&M) would be effective for a period of 25 years, with an option to renew the agreement for another 25 years.
The New Container Terminal-2 with its two gantry cranes (right) and other facilities and equipment, is being bid out to shipping lines or port operators.
