P40.57B Davao Airport bidded out

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) formally called for bidders who are interested to undertake the P40.57-billion development, operations and maintenance of the Davao International Airport under a public-private partnership scheme.

“The Davao Airport will be part of a bundled airport projects to be undertaken by the DOTC and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA),” said National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) XI director M. Lourdes Lim said.

However, she said, it is the sentiment of the Regional Development Council (RDC) members “na di makasama ang Davao Airport sa bundled bidding. Sana mahiwalay kasi baka ma tie-down namana nd maulahi ang pag award.”

The Davao Airport is the third busiest airport in the country that handles direct flights daily and direct flights to Singapore weekly. The airport has a 10.56% annual average growth rate for the last five years, handling 2,795,251 passengers in 2013.

 “As of now we haven’t really seen the final tender documents but during the discussions at the Committee and Council levels, that was the sentiments of the members of the Council that dito sana at mahiwalay ang Davao Airport project,” she said.

The bid notice indicated that the winning private sector bidder will be required to start expanding the passenger terminal building, apron, other airside and landside facilities of the airports.

DOTC reported that the Davao Airport is expected to breach its estimated design capacity in the next few years. The Bacolod-Silay, Iloilo and Laguindingan and Puerto Princesa airports have reportedly already exceeded their estimated passenger capacity.

Including Davao, the project will involve a total of six airport projects in the country namely: P4.57-billion New Bohol (Panglao) Airport; P5.81-billion Puerto Princesa Airport; P14.62-billion Laguindingan Airport; P20.26-billion Bacolod-Silay International Airport and the P30.40-billion Iloilo Airport.

DOTC Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Jose Perpetuo M. Lotilla earlier said they are planning to break up the airport tender into two contracts covering three projects each, with each bundle roughly equivalent to an estimated annual throughput of five million passengers.

All interested parties are required to pay a non-refundable fee of P1 million before they can acquire the invitation documents consisting of the invitation to pre-qualify and bid, project information memorandum (PIM) and instructions to prospective bidders (ITPB).