The Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) will look for hiring a new contractor through fresh tender for toll collection and operation of the Bangabandhu Jamuna Bridge (BJB) - due to failure in negotiation with the lowest bidder selected in a bid in 2016.
Officials said the BBA started negotiation with the lowest bidder - a joint venture (JV) of HPCC (South Korea) and SEL (Bangladesh) - seven years after the expression of interest (EoI) was called, as legal impasse on awarding the work was recently over.
But the negotiation did not work, as the JV placed a revised proposal, demanding much higher rate than the estimated cost for toll collection and operation work of the bridge, they added.
The BBA called for EoI for the work in March 2016 at an estimated cost of Tk 490 million. Five companies submitted EoI, but three proposals were found responsive. The HPCC-SEL JV was the lowest bidder and CNS was the second lowest.
The tender process for toll collection and operation had been stalled, as the second lowest bidder continued lodging complaints of injustice with different authorities, including the High Court, during the last seven years.
On August 30, 2022, the Supreme Court finally dismissed the case, allowing the BBA to go for awarding the work.
Meanwhile, the BBA's 113rd board meeting was held on Sunday with its 12 members, who are secretaries of different ministries. The meeting finally directed the BBA to call a fresh tender to select a new contractor, sources said.
Obaidul Quader, chair of the meeting and Road Transport and Bridge Minister, told journalists after the meeting that the board members agreed to call the fresh tender, as the new proposal of the HPCC-SEL JV would cause the BBA to face loss.
Bridges Division Secretary Monjur Hossain told the FE that the JV's proposed rate was almost double than the BBA's estimated cost, although scope of work for the contractor was reduced by 25 per cent than the previous estimation.
He said the BBA completed some works, like setting up weighing machines, due to facing the long-time impediment of seven years, reducing the scope of work.
Officials said the BBA has been collecting toll of the road-cum-rail bridge through outsourcing by paying to the staff concerned on monthly basis. The toll collection has increased with its own operation. But, selection of a contractor is necessary to avoid future complication.
When the BBA called the tender in 2016, it proposed to award the toll collection and operation work on share basis. As the entity has awarded the Padma Multipurpose Bridge's toll collection and operation on time-framed fixed amount basis, it is now planning to go for the same option in case of the Bangabandhu Jamuna Bridge.
They also said the JV's fresh proposal demanded nearly 3.0 per cent share of the toll collection, which means with increase in traffic, payment would be higher.
The 4.8-kilometre-long BJB was opened in October 1995. It now gets 20,000 vehicles per day on an average, but its traffic increases during peak times like the Eid holidays. During the Eid-ul-Fitr this year, its toll amount reached Tk 33.4 million.
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