DOTC extends interim contract of MRT-3 maintenance service provider

A delay in the bidding process has prompted the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to extend by two months the six-month interim contract of the maintenance contractor of Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT-3). The contract to PH Trams CB & T joint venture was extended for a total consideration of $2.3 million, according to Transportation secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya in a notice of award. The interim maintenance services contract expired last April 19. The extension, which will last up to June 19, was formalized through Bids and Awards Committee Resolution No. P-GS-AMP-2013-26. The DOTC is in the process of conducting a public bidding for the provision of a one-year temporary maintenance service contract for MRT-3 system worth P712.77 million, but the deadline for the submission of bids was moved to May 16 from April 15 as four of the five prospective bidders sought extension to prepare their qualification documents. “Considering that the procurement may not be completed within a reasonable period of time after the expiration of the contract, there is a need to extend the same for the continued provision of maintenance services for the MRT3 system,” Abaya said. Last October, the DOTC awarded a contract for the maintenance of the MRT-3 to PH Trams-CB&T JV. The interim maintenance provider of the MRT-3 is for six months while it conducts the procurement process for a regular maintenance provider for the train line. PH Trams-CB&T JV was awarded the contract as it offered the lowest monthly maintenance cost of $1.15 million compared to two other firms that submitted proposals such as Sumitomo TES-P Inc. and Miescor Railway/Genials JV.  — KBK, GMA News