MANILA, Philippines?The total cost of construction of the mothballed Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 project (NAIA-3) may escalate by almost P800 million after airport authorities opened a fresh bidding for the repair and completion of the facility.
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) is looking for qualified local or foreign contractors to repair the damaged portions and complete unfinished work at NAIA-3, the value of which is still being contested at between $320 million (P13.1 billion under the current exchange rate) and $500 million (P20.5 billion).
New contract
An invitation to bid which MIAA recently made public said the agency had an approved P729-million budget for a new contract to complete the ?supply, installation, construction, testing and commissioning of existing systems? at the terminal to make it ?safe, secure and operable? under MIAA standards.
Airport development and corporate affairs chief Tirso Serrano told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the budget was based on a technical assessment by engineering consultant TCGI Engineers Inc. and the Ove Arup & Partners HK Ltd.
Both firms advised MIAA against a soft opening last year after it found damage that could pose ?life safety risks? to airport users.
Remediation
The facility, 98 percent of which was said to have been completed in 2002, sustained damage after a gypsum board ceiling in the arrival area collapsed on March 27, 2006. An earthquake early this year also caused minor damage to the terminal.
?We want the general contractor to do completion and remediation in compliance with MIAA standards. The work that has to be done covers not just civil works but also airport equipment,? said Serrano.
He, however, said the unfinished work might run beyond the two percent estimate. ?We have our own advise from our technical consultants that it might be more than that. It [scope of work] should cover all inadequacies and shortfalls in construction.?
Serrano said the long list of items to be done includes structural work and systems installation, particularly the crucial baggage handling system.
MIAA opened the new bid following its decision in late January to fire Japanese contractor Takenaka Corp., with which MIAA reportedly had a conflict on how to go about repairs and completion work.
Target
MIAA?s bids and awards committee set the filing of requirements for eligibility screening this month and the receipt and opening of bids by May. If MIAA finds a contractor by next month, Serrano said the terminal could still be opened within the year.
?Our target is that within six to eight months, we can finish the work. We don?t want to set targets but I think it will still be doable for us to have a soft launch within the year,? he said.
