The Department of Transportation, or DoTr, is moving forward with the technical evaluation of proposals submitted by four consortia vying to undertake the P170.6-billion rehabilitation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, or NAIA.

Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan said that the Technical Working Group, which oversees the bidding process, recommended proceeding with the detailed evaluation of the technical proposals after all bidders passed the preliminary requirements.

“Having completed the opening and preliminary evaluation of four bidders, we will now proceed with the detailed tech evaluation. This will be conducted in a period of no longer than 20 days,” Batan said on Monday.

Based on the DoTr’s timeline, proposals that pass the technical evaluation will be announced on 5 February.

Financial evaluation

This will be followed by the final financial evaluation of the bidders, which must be completed by 14 February. The following day, 15 February, the DoTr will issue the Notice of Award.

The turnover of operatorship to the private sector will take place in September, provided the timeline is followed.

The DoTr has already assured employees of the Manila International Airport Authority, or MIAA, that their jobs will not be affected by the turnover.

Transparency in process vowed

In a recent interview, Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista pledged to make sure that the privatization process is transparent and fair, and that all stakeholders, including MIAA employees, are consulted and their concerns are addressed.

Presently, the DoTr is working with the MIAA to develop a transition plan that will ensure the smooth and orderly transfer of operations to the private sector.

The rehabilitation of NAIA which is aimed at improving the efficiency and quality of services in the country’s premier international gateway is a key priority of the current administration.

Four consortiums

The Bids and Awards Committee of the DoTr revealed during the bid opening last 27 December 2023 that four consortiums, that is, the Manila International Airport Consortium or MIAC, Asian Airport Consortium, GMR Airports Consortium, SMC-SAP and Company Consortium have submitted proposals.

The MIAC is composed of Gip Em Miac Pte. Ltd., Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc., Ac Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Alliance Global Infracorp Dev’t, Inc., Asia’s Emerging Dragon Corp., Filinvest Dev’t Corp., and Jg Summit Infrastructure Holdings Corp. All members are among the country’s leading infrastructure builders.

Three companies comprise GMR Consortium, that is, India-based Gmr Airports International B.V.; Cavitex Holdings, Inc., a unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp.; and House of Investments Inc., wholly owned by Landev Corp.

Meanwhile, Asian Infrastructure And Management Corp., Cosco Capital, Inc., Philippine Skylanders Int’l, Inc., and Pt Angkasa Pura II make up the Asian Airport Consortium.