City to Switch to Private Contract Method
The bid for the construction company for the 680 billion won Dongtan Tram project in Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi Province, has failed once again. Hwaseong City has announced its plan to select a contractor through a private contract method instead.
A bird's-eye view of the Dongtan Tram, promoted by Hwaseong City as part of the Dongtan 2 New Town metropolitan transportation plan. The city is pursuing a shift to a private contract method after the first phase construction company selection failed. Provided by Hwaseong City
Hwaseong City stated on the 22nd that only the DL E&C consortium participated in the recently closed bid for the "Dongtan Urban Railway (Tram) Construction Project Phase 1," resulting in the bid being declared unsuccessful. As a result, the Dongtan Tram project has failed to select a construction company for the second consecutive time, following the first bid in May.
Accordingly, the city has decided to switch the contractor selection method from competitive bidding to a private contract. Since the same consortium participated alone in both unsuccessful bidding rounds, the city explained that the requirements for considering a private contract under relevant laws have been met.
Previously, after the first bid failed, the city raised the construction cost from the original 611.4 billion won to 683.4 billion won, reflecting increases in inflation and raw material prices, and attempted a rebid. However, the selection of a contractor was unsuccessful once again.
The city plans to proceed quickly with consultations with the Public Procurement Service and related procedures to ensure that the opening of the tram is not delayed any further, and will continue to respond with the best possible administrative measures.
Jung Myunggeun, Mayor of Hwaseong City, stated, "The Dongtan Tram is not just a means of transportation but a core infrastructure that will transform the lives of citizens," and added, "We will follow every possible legal procedure without omission and focus our administrative efforts to advance transportation benefits for citizens by even a single day."
The Dongtan Tram, being promoted as part of the Dongtan 2 New Town metropolitan transportation plan, will connect Mangpo Station in Suwon, major areas of Dongtan, and northern Osan. There will be a total of 36 stations along the tram line.
The Phase 1 construction section, which failed to attract a successful bidder this time, covers the 13.8 km route from Mangpo Station in Suwon to Dongtan Station to Banggyo-dong, and the 17.8 km route from Byeongjeom Station to Dongtan Station to the vehicle depot. The 2.85 km section from Banggyo-dong to Osan Station, which is excluded from Phase 1, will be pursued separately in line with Osan City's "Osan Unamteul AI City Urban Development Project" schedule.
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