The Roads and Highways Department's (RHD) work on the Matarbari Port Development Project is facing an inordinate delay as the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is taking "excessive" time to approve various processes, officials have said.The Japanese government is funding the project through JICA alongside the government of Bangladesh.
A review meeting of the project at the shipping ministry on November 26 was told the re-tender of package CW-3a could not be held since May 2023 due to JICA's non-approval.
It was told the re-tender of the package was necessary due to excessive price quotation by the lowest bidder, which is much higher than the officially estimated rate.
However, as JICA has not given approval, the package's implementation has been delayed by at least a year and a half.
Under the package, 10.5 kilometres of access road and 1.2 kilometres of Matarbari Port N/S Connector Road with four bridges will be built.
Besides, a 6.4-kilometre-long access road with four bridges will be built under the package CW-3b, while 9.1 kilometres of access road with six bridges will be constructed under the package CW-3c.
The project director (RHD component) told the meeting as the quoted prices of the three packages were found to be much higher than the official estimations, the Tender Evaluation Committee (TEC) on May 15 last year recommended inviting re-tenders to get good prices.
Later, in line with JICA's request and the Project Steering Committee's (PSC) decision, the prices were re-negotiated with the lowest bidders of the three packages.
However, the re-negotiated prices were still higher than official estimations, and the TEC asked to float re-tenders.
JICA, however, did not agree. The RHD informed the shipping ministry of JICA's decision in March this year.
Later, the ministry asked the RHD to float re-tenders for CW-3a and re-negotiate CW-3b and CW-3c through the TEC.
However, JICA is yet to approve floating re-tenders for CW-3a, the project director informed the shipping ministry meeting last month.
After the re-negotiation of CW-3b and CW-3c was completed by the TEC and the Revised Bid Evaluation Report was submitted, JICA on August 28 this year approved the two packages.
The project director informed the meeting the validity of the fourth-time extended tenders for CW-3b and CW-3c would expire on March 4 next year and the notification of award of the two packages would have to be provided before then.
Shipping Adviser Brigadier General (retd) Dr M Sakhawat Hussain, who chaired the meeting, asked the officials concerned to float re-tenders for CW-3a soon to expedite the project's implementation. A senior shipping ministry official told The Financial Express the deep-sea port is very necessary to support the country's external trade as the dependence on feeder vessels instead of mother ones enhances trade costs.
He said due to the delay in getting approvals from JICA, the implementation of some components is getting delayed, which will slow down overall project implementation and also raise costs.
"JICA should promptly provide approvals," he added.
The Financial Express emailed JICA for comments but did not receive a response until the story was filed.
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