PANAMA Metro has ordered a reassessment of the bids for a contract to design a 4km tunnel under the Panama Canal as part of the Line 3 project, after the two losing bidders appealed against the decision.  

The metro’s Evaluation Commission will now be required to undertake a new analysis of the proposals after the bidders submitted comments on the commission’s report.  

Panama Metro had decided to award the design contract for the tunnel to Consorcio Túnel de Las Américas. The consortium achieved the highest evaluation score (930) and beat bids by Consorcio Aecom-Sener Túnel Línea 3 (884) and Consorcio Ayesa-ILF (857). The consortium of Applus Norcontrol Panamá, Applus Norcontrol Sociedad Unipersonal and Geocontrol were excluded from bidding process as their submission did not meet the minimum requirements.

The Commission has a period of five working days, with an extension of a further five working days in case of complexity, to present the new report. 

The tunnel will have a 13m diameter and will run more than 50m below the canal bed. It forms part of the first of two phases of the 24.5km Line 3 monorail project, construction of which got underway in February. The line will have 14 stations, linking Albrook with Ciudad del Futuro. It will be built over 54 months and is due to be completed in mid-2025.  

HPH Consortium, comprising Hyundai Engineering and Construction and Posco E&C is building the line under a $US 2.06bn design, construction and financing contract awarded in February 2020.  

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