The Department of Transportation (DOTr), through the Department of Budget and Management-Procurement Service (DBM-PS), has started inviting interested firms to provide consultancy services for the New Cebu International Container Port (NCICP) project.
In a notice published online on December 6, DBM-PS said DOTr, under the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) loan agreement between the Philippine government and South Korea’s Export Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM), intends to apply US$5.440 million to pay for the engagement of a NCICP project consultant.
The procurement of consultancy services forms part of the $172.64-million (P8.8 billion) loan agreement signed last June 4 by the Philippines and South Korea for the construction of a new international container port in Cebu.
The contract for the consultancy services includes the preparation of preliminary conceptual design, bidding assistance, and construction supervision for NCICP.
A limited competitive bidding will be conducted among Korean firms, pursuant to the terms of the loan agreement.
Prospective bidders, who should have completed a contract similar to the project, must submit their pre-qualification documents through their authorized representative on or before December 17.
KEXIM’s EDCF, which evaluates and implements aid projects in developing countries, will extend the $172.641 million loan, with a preferential interest rate of 0.15% per annum for non-consulting services and 0% interest for consulting services.
The loan has a maturity period of 40 years inclusive of a 10-year grace period.
The Philippines will provide a counterpart fund of $26.09 million (about P1.4 billion) for the project.
The NCICP, with a total estimated project cost of P10.1 billion, will be built on a 25-hectare reclaimed land in the town of Consolacion in Cebu.
It will include a berthing facility with a 500-meter-long quay wall that can simultaneously accommodate two 2,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) vessels; operating facilities and structures for containers such as a freight station and an inspection shed; an access road and bridge; and a dredged waterway and turning basin. The loan also includes procurement of cargo-handling equipment.
A new international terminal is seen as the long-term solution to the growing volumes handled at Cebu International Port, the current base port. It is seen not only to free up the base port but also to enhance the transport infrastructure system for the unimpeded flow of goods and services in the Visayas. Several feasibility studies, the most recent one by KEXIM, suggest locating the new sea hub in Tayud, Consolacion, some 8 kilometers from the Cebu base port.
