aviation

Contract tender delayed

Bidding for the contract to build a new airport terminal was postponed until Dec. 1.

la prensa

layover: The deadline for contract bids on the new terminal has been pushed back to next month.1118478

For the third time in recent months, the deadline for companies to submit a bid for the construction of the North Pier terminal at Tocumen International Airport has been postponed, this time until Dec. 1.

The delay comes “at the request of the prospective participants” in the bidding process, according an addendum to the project’s statement of objections.

The last day of the original solicitation of bids was Sept. 1, but a disagreement among international investors led Tocumen officials to postpone the deadline to Oct. 20, reported airport manager Orcial de Constable at the time.

The second postponement was requested by several companies preparing to take part in the contest, pushing back the deadline to Nov. 13.

The reference price for the contract to build the North Pier terminal has been assessed at $51.8 million, and the winning bidder will have a period of 15 months following the awarding of the contract to finish the expansion project.

Planned for opening in mid-2010, the new terminal, along with other projects aimed at expanding the facility, will double the capacity of the airport, which received its international status in 1978.