VISL to Complete Bidding Proces by April 2014 (India)

Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL), the State government agency that is implementing the proposed deepwater container transhipment port at Vizhinjam, should complete the bidding process connected with the project by April, 2014, VISL managing director and chief executive officer A.S. Suresh Babu has said.

“We are adopting a two-stage bidding process. The first is a qualification stage, which we began on Wednesday with the release of one tender inviting requests for qualification (RFQ) from parties interested in taking up the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for constructing the breakwater and associated berths, and another calling for RFQ to participate in the project as the port operator,” he said.

He said the VISL would receive queries connected with the bidding process involved in the first and second tenders till January 2, and January 3 respectively. There would be separate pre-application conferences with the parties interested in the tenders on January 7 and 9 respectively. The State government would communicate its responses to the queries on the bidding process by January 10 and January 13 respectively.

There would be time till January 21 to submit the applications in the case of the first RFQ tender and January 22 in the case of the second. Within a fortnight from the last day of submitting applications, the VISL/State government would announce the names of the applicants shortlisted for taking part in the second stage of the bidding process, or the ‘bid stage’.

Schedule

According to the schedule drawn up by the VISL, the bid documents would be on sale from February 4 for the breakwater construction contract, and February 5 for the contract as the port operator.

Queries on the bid documents would be entertained till March 4 and March 7 respectively and there would be pre-bid meetings for both tenders and these would be held on March 10 and March 12. The due dates for the bids would be April 3 and 4 respectively and on the same dates the bids would be opened.

Award of contract

Mr. Suresh Babu said the letters awarding the tenders would be issued within 15 days in the case of the contract for constructing the breakwater, berths and so on and 30 days in the case of the contract to take up the port operator’s role.

“We are confident of really good players, including international ones, participating in the bids,” he said.

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Press Release, January 2, 2014