MRTA opens Orange Line bid envelopes despite threat of lawsuit

MONDAY, August 01, 2022

THE NATION

The Mass Rapid Transit Authority on Monday went ahead and opened two bid envelopes for the contract to build the Orange Line railway project, despite the threat of a lawsuit.

Second-round bids to construct the 35.9-kilometre Bang Khunnon-Min Buri rail route were submitted by two consortiums – Bangkok Expressway and Metro (BEM)/H Karnchang Plc and Italian Thai Development Plc/Incheon Transit Corp (South Korea).

Skytrain operator Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC) participated in the first round of bidding, which was cancelled, but boycotted the second round, alleging that its terms of reference (TOR) and request for proposal (RFP) favoured a particular bidder and were designed to thwart BTSC’s bid.

BTSC last week announced it had filed a lawsuit challenging the TOR and RFP with the Central Administrative Court and a complaint with the Department of Special Investigation.

BTSC earlier won two cases against the MRTA – for unlawfully cancelling the first round of bidding and unlawfully changing the TOR.

MRTA opens Orange Line bid envelopes despite threat of lawsuit An MRTA source consideration of the two consortiums’ bids would take time as the bidding committee would have to examine the technical proposals before considering the offered prices.

Representatives of the two bidders witnessed the opening of bid envelopes on Monday. MRTA opens Orange Line bid envelopes despite threat of lawsuit