Metro Line 2 tender under fire

THE INDEPENDENT Movement for Panama (Movin) has added its voice to those questioning the award of the tender for Metro Line 2 to a group that had big overruns in the first phase, and was part of a procurement system with “big vices, some introduced by the previous administration, 

Movin questioned the process followed for the award of the construction of Line 2, Metro Panama and  called for a revision of the procurment rulse.
Movin said that the Metro Department of Panama awarded the tender to a consortium comprised of Norberto Odebrecht and FCC-which “bid a price of nearly $ 200 million over the Panametro consortium”.
The members of the movement recalled that in Februarythey issued a clarion call for “the methodology used by the Government for the award of this tender, since there was a risk that the State would award it  to a bidder without obtaining lowest price offered by participants. The result revealed that our concerns became reality.”
Movin recalled that the bidding went ahead without one, “complete and serious independent financial audit of line 1 of the Metro, which had  addenda totaling more than $600 million”
“We are a country in economic growth but with large corporate debts that can only be met with responsible public administration capable of investing the resources efficiently,” Movin emphasized in its statement.
“The organization again calls upon the Government and National Assembly to give priority in the next regular meeting to amend the Public Procurement Act, because the existing one is full of vices, some introduced by the previous administration.”