BACOLOD CITY: An initial three firms have expressed interest in bidding for the proposed PHP1.2 billion Negros Occidental Bulk Water Supply Project (NBWSP) under a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme.
These are the Manila Water Company Inc., Aboitiz InfraCapital, and Balibago Waterworks System Inc.
Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II, chairperson of the PPP for the People-Selection Committee, on Wednesday, welcomed the development after the province published an invitation to bid last month.
‘They have already bought the bid documents in December. We are happy that at least three are interested in pursuing our PPP project for bulk water supply to give a solution to the water shortage in the local government units in Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City,’ he told reporters.
Diaz said other interested industry players can purchase the bid documents until Jan. 31, ahead of the pre-selection of qualified bidders on Feb. 7.
The NBWSP involves the financing, engineering design, construction, op
eration, and maintenance of a bulk water supply system with a minimum capacity of 34.5 million liters per day to be sourced from the Imbang River and/or the Malogo River.
The project expects to supply treated bulk water to six water service providers, namely the Bacolod City Water District, Silay City Water District, Talisay (City) Water District, Victorias City Water District, Manapla Water District, and Local Government Unit of E.B. Magalona.
Its implementation is through a contractual joint venture with the provincial government for 38 years, including a construction period of three years.
Based on the project background, there is ‘an increasing concern on the sustainability of water supply service sources in Negros Occidental, which at present are predominantly groundwater sources.’
Data showed that groundwater availability is only 8 percent, creating an urgent need to utilize other water sources, including surface water resources with 92 percent availability.
As such, the NBWSP aims to address the i
ncreasing water demand by developing surface water to provide potable, sustainable, and resilient water supply to Negrenses and reduce dependence on groundwater and deep wells.
Source: Philippines News Agency