Three foreign firms compete for PMB\\\'s $1.32b construction job

Three pre-qualified firms of China, Korea and India finally came up with their proposals to compete for the Padma main bridge construction as tender for the US $ 1.32 billion work was closed Thursday afternoon.
The China Major Bridge Engineering Co Ltd, the Daelim -L&T joint venture and the Samsung C&T Corporation finally joined the race after extending the tender deadline four times.
The Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA), the executing agency of the US $ 3.0 billion Padma Multipurpose Bridge (PMB) project, received the proposals from the respective companies at 3pm in presence of witnesses who are the members of the panel of experts.
Communications Minister Obaidul Quader, while addressing the journalists after the tender closure at the Setu Bhaban, expressed his hope to start the ground level work of the Padma bridge by June.
He said the World Bank's appointed consultant will evaluate the technical proposals of the main bridge work along with the rail and viaduct within next two months as the procurement consultant. The proposals will later be finalised by the BBA's technical evaluation committee (TEC).
"To complete all these works, much time won't be needed to give work order and we are hopeful of starting the construction work by June," the minister said. He termed it as a piece of good news amid political turmoil and uncertainty as three bidders finally competed for the work.
The BBA officials said, after completion of the technical evaluation, the TEC will invite the bidders for their financial proposals.
The final selection of the firm among the three will be based on financial proposals having the lowest cost after evaluation of the proposals, they added.
When asked about change of design of the main bridge as discussed earlier, BBA executive director Khandker Anwarul Islam said all the three firms will have to follow the main design as it was approved by the panel of experts when the project was under the international financiers.
"There is no scope for proposing any change in the design of the main bridge work. But there may be difference from one firm to another on use of construction elements or methodology which will be evaluated by the experts," he told the FE.
The 6.15 km bridge will be constructed with steel-truss component having 21.10 metre in width. It will be four-lane road on the top and a broad-gauge rail lane below along with 150 spans with four-km approach road at Mawa and 12km Janjira at the other side.
Project Director M Shafiqul Islam said there would not be any scope to change steel structure of the bridge. But there are some scopes to propose minor changes in methodology.
The Padma Bridge was the Awami League's first election pledge during the just-ended tenure of the government. Due to alleged corruption in the procurement process and subsequently withdrawal of funding by foreign financiers, the project went through a long delay suspending its tender process.
The BBA officials said due to political situation, they have to assure the pre-qualified bidders smooth funding in the project and ensure all kinds of cooperation to submit the proposals.
Among the four short-listed firms, three bought the tender document on September 9. But all the firms sought time on four occasions to submit the proposals.