BMTA boosts median price for buses

The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) yesterday announced it plans to increase the median price to 4.422 billion baht for its latest attempt to buy a new bus fleet of 489 vehicles running on natural gas for vehicles (NGVs).

The old median price of 4.02 billion baht failed to attract interest from the private sector when the BMTA opened bids for the vehicles on Tuesday.

The BMTA had to scrap the e-bidding round as all eight companies which earlier purchased the bid envelopes failed to submit bids.

Nattachat Jarujinda, chairman of the BMTA board, said yesterday he held talks with Deputy Transport Minister Pichit Akrathit about the problem and he proposed a 10% increase to the former median price or about 4.422 billion baht for the next bidding round.

Mr Nattachat said the new figure is more appropriate and believed private companies will now show an interest. However, he said a board meeting would be also held to consider the new median price.

Two measures may be rolled out. The BMTA may stage another round of bidding, or opt to seek a new contractor under special procurement regulations.

Compared to the first method which would take more than two months to seek a bid winner, the agency could fast-track the process and acquire a new contractor within a month if it resorted to special procurement regulations. Under the regulations, all eight firms would be invited to propose bidding prices.

Mr Nattachat also ensured the next bidding process would be transparent, saying the activity would be monitored by representatives from Anti-Corruption Thailand, an NGO set up to battle corruption in the country.

However, he said the BMTA would be unable to hand over the NGV buses to a new contractor this year despite the new bidding approach. It was unlikely to have enough time.

The process of purchasing the 489 new NGV buses began last year but was further delayed after the BMTA revoked a 3.3-billion-baht contract won by Bestlin Group on April 12.Bestlin was awarded the contract last September but failed to meet the delivery deadline because it could not get the imported buses released from Laem Chabang port in Chon Buri.