Taoyuan International Airport Corp’s (TIAC) decision to extend the public tendering deadline for Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project by 45 days would not cause further construction delays, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday.
The deadline for the second phase of the bidding was previously set for Thursday next week, but as of Nov. 5, two interested bidders had submitted 1,582 requests for clarification of the contract terms, construction plans and bidding procedures, TIAC said on Wednesday.
“To ensure that the procurement contract is handled fairly and reasonably, we find it necessary to give interested bidders adequate time to review changes to the contract, the construction plans and other bidding documents,” TIAC said. “Given this, we’ve decided to extend the deadline until 10am on Jan. 18.”
On Aug. 21, TIAC chose two qualified bidders in the first phase, it said, adding that one bidder has brought a 42-member team of specialists to Taiwan to prepare for the second phase, while the other bidder brought a 28-member team.
Each team has been delayed by visa application procedures and the quarantine requirement in their review of the project documents, it added.
Lin was asked by reporters on the sidelines of the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee whether the extension would further delay construction, given that a lack of bidders already prompted the ministry to postpone the project’s completion until 2026.
“No, I don’t think so,” Lin said. “The two teams have many questions, for which both the Civil Aeronautics Administration and TIAC will need to prepare and provide translation. They will need about 45 days to finish all of the necessary work.”
One bidder is South Korea’s Samsung C&T Corp and Taiwan’s RSEA Engineering Corp, while the other bidder is the Taiwan branch of the Tokyo-based Taisei Corp and Taiwan’s Continental Engineering Co.
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