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Work on Tinian’s new terminal to start
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Posted on Jan 16 2005
The construction of the Tinian International Airport departure terminal will finally begin in February, over a year after the Commonwealth Ports Authority awarded the contract to the second lowest bidder.
CPA executive director Carlos Salas said yesterday that the groundbreaking ceremony for the $2-million terminal project has been scheduled for Feb. 1, 2004. The facility, which will include a new jetway, is expected to be completed within nine months, he said.
In November 2003, CPA awarded the contract to AIC Marianas, which entered a bid of $2.65 million. AIC’s proposal was about $70,000 higher than the $2.58-million bid entered by ASC Construction, which subsequently protested CPA’s decision.
The ports authority explained that it rejected ASC’s proposal because the bidder entered Equitable Insurance Co., which is not U.S. Treasury-listed, as its bonding company. CPA said the exemption for that requirement was not available upon the advise of the Attorney General’s Office.
ASC said, however, that CPA could have given the construction company the opportunity to select a different bonding company, instead of rejecting its proposal altogether.
In May 2004, ASC brought the matter to court, claiming that CPA’s actions were “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with the law.”
Salas said yesterday that ASC has failed to follow through on its protest. CPA has not heard from the contractor for quite some time, he added.
The Tinian terminal building is one of the improvements being done to the Tinian International Airport in an effort to beef up the island’s tourism and casino industry.
Other improvements being undertaken or planned for the airport include the construction of a permanent jet fueling facility, the upgrading of the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.’s power feed to the airport, new taxiways, an apron expansion, and new lighting systems.
In August 2003, CPA opened a new 8,600-feet-long runway at the Tinian airport. The $23-million runway, which is capable of handling all sizes of modern commercial jet aircraft, was built using funds from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Tinian Legislative Delegation.
