Panama Canal opening lock bids Wednesday

Panama Canal opening lock bids Wednesday    Panama Canal officials said bids for building a new set of locks for the canal will be opened on Wednesday.
   Alberto Alem'n Zubieta said the bids for the projects will be scored, with a “best value” score based 45 percent on the price of the proposal and 55 percent on an evaluation of the technical proposal.
   Aleman Zubieta emphasized the extraordinary transparency of the contracting process — the process of opening of the bids will be broadcast on the Internet and past meetings between the canal authority and consortia bidding for the job have been videotaped to ensure a fair process.
   The three consortia that submitted bids are:
   ' Consorcio C.A.N.A.L.
   ' A consortium of Bechtel, Taisei, Mitsubishi Corp.
   ' Consorcio Grupo Unidos por el Canal.
   A fourth consortium, that prequalified to bid on the project, Consorcio Atl'ntico-Pac'fico de Panam', decided not to submit a bid in March.
   The canal authority has been evaluating the technical proposals of each of the consortia since they were submitted in March. If bids exceed a target price, the authority may ask for revised bids.