By WILFREDO S. JORDAN S. for La Prensa - The last step of the bidding process for the design and construction of the third set of locks was reached yesterday when the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) gave the order to proceed to the Grupo Unidos Por El Canal (GUPC). GUPC, led by the Spanish company Sacyr Vallehermoso, should begin work on August 25, 2009. After that date, the consortium has 1,883 days to deliver the new locks, in mid-2014. The consortium was awarded the contract to construct the third set of locks on July 15, for having the best technical expertise and the lowest price: $ 3.118 billion dollars. The ACP issued the order to proceed after completing the period specified in the project's schedule to start work, which included a review of the technical documentation and the qualifications of the various bids submitted. Based on this review, the consortium that came in second and offered a bid of $4.185 billion, Bechtel, Taisei, Mitsubishi Corporation, sent a note to the Minister for Canal Affairs Romulo Roux, warning about some technical shortcomings of the GUPC proposal. The CANAL consortium, which offered $5.981 billion, also sent a note to the ACP warning of an earthquake risk in the conceptual design of GUPC.Click Here To Read The Full Article (280 words)
Article from: Panama Guide
