Six bidders shortlisted for water project

The Water and Flood Management Commission yesterday selected six groups of bidders for the Bt350-billion water management project while setting a April deadline for the drafting of the terms of reference.

"Those passing the selection are a mix of Thai and foreign companies. Thai companies understand Thailand's water system and geography while foreign companies from China, Japan and Korea have techniques and experience in solving flooding problems in their own countries," said Plodprasop Suraswadi, a deputy prime minister and the commission's chairman.

Out of eight groups planning to bid for the conceptual plan for construction of the water and flood management system, six were groups comprising 31 companies, of which 15 are foreign and 16 are local. Three foreign firms have been engaged in Thailand for more than 30 years.

The six successful groups were Korea Water Resources Corporation (K Water), Thai-Japan Joint Venture, ITD-Power China, Thailand Team Joint Venture, SUT Summit Joint Venture and Loxley Joint Venture. The two unlucky groups were China CAMC Engineering Co from China and Consortium TKC Global from Korea.

The selection was divided into Module A for projects in the Chao Phraya River and Module B for other rivers across the country.

The six groups will enter the final round of bidding for preparing the TOR, including technical details, construction, timetable and expenses.

The winners will be decided by the screening committee supervised by the Permanent Secretary's Office and PM's Office and chaired by Permanent Secretary Tongthong Chandransu.

"Any project ready for construction in April can start. Each project period must not be more than five years," Plodprasop said.

A requirement will be added for all groups to stay in the process up to the final round to prevent them from withdrawing to reach an agreement outside the bidding. Contracting or subcontracting must be approved by the committee.