BMA Adjusts Bidding Rules for the Orange Line Electric Train, Balancing Technical Weight with Price, Aligning with Italian-Thai's Proposal, and Requires Strong Technical Submissions for the Chao Phraya River Crossing, Extending Submission Deadline by 45 Days; BTS Raises Concerns About Potential Unfair Advantages for Private Firms

The bidding for the Orange Line electric train project, covering the Cultural Center to Bang Khun Non route of 13.4 kilometers, and the installation of the electric train system along the entire Orange Line (Min Buri to Bang Khun Non) spanning 35.9 kilometers, with a budget of 142.789 billion baht, has attracted 10 bidders. However, the rules for the bidding process are set to be revised.

The selection committee under Section 36 for the Orange Line electric train project from Bang Khun Non to Min Buri (Suwinthawong), chaired by Mr. Kittikorn Tanpaow, Deputy Governor of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA), convened yesterday (August 21) to adjust the bidding criteria.

This meeting followed a request from Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited to revise the bidding criteria, suggesting that the winner should not solely be determined by the highest financial offer but should also consider other factors and impacts, such as technical proposals, reliability, and the capabilities of the bidders.

MRTA Decides to Revise Bidding Criteria

Mr. Pakapong Sirikhantharamas, Governor of MRTA, stated that the committee has resolved to adjust the criteria for evaluating bids for the Orange Line project, incorporating technical proposals alongside pricing. This adjustment is expected to maximize benefits for the state.

Moreover, it is necessary to revise the criteria due to the construction of the Orange Line passing under the Chao Phraya River, making technical proposals essential for consideration. It was confirmed that this adjustment is permissible under the Public-Private Partnership Act B.E. 2562, which does not prohibit such actions.

Additionally, this revision does not conflict with public procurement regulations, as the law allows for the consideration of high-technology procurement.

Furthermore, the Public-Private Partnership Act reserves the right for the selection committee to consider changes and amendments to the bidding documents.

New Criteria to be Released Next Week

Next week, additional bidding documents reflecting the revised criteria will be issued to all bidders, extending the submission deadline by 45 days from the original date of September 23 to November 6, 2020, allowing all bidders to prepare adequately.

It was emphasized that this process is transparent and serves the best interests of the state, ensuring that no bidder is disadvantaged by the changes. The evaluation criteria will allocate 30% for technical proposals and 70% for price proposals. If technical scores are close, price proposals will carry significant weight; for instance, if the first bidder scores 86 and the second 99 in technical evaluation, the first bidder could still win with a higher financial offer.

New Criteria to be Applied to All Future Projects

Compared to the previous evaluation criteria, the new guidelines differ significantly as the old criteria did not consider technical proposals in scoring; they merely required compliance with the specifications. If a proposal did not meet the criteria, it was rejected without consideration of price. However, the new scoring system will be applied to all MRTA projects across all electric train lines.

Moreover, it was confirmed that the revision of the criteria was not initiated by Italian-Thai Development's request but was a pre-existing idea. The previous criteria were announced before the new Public-Private Partnership Act came into effect.

For those bidders who disagree and have filed objections to retain the old criteria, they have the right to pursue legal action. However, MRTA insists that the new criteria do not create any unfair advantages or disadvantages, as the submission period has been extended by 45 days to allow private firms to review the new requirements.

SOURCE : www.bangkokbiznews.com