ZPMC again sole bidder for new Guam gantry crane

ZPMC again sole bidder for new Guam gantry crane Nine months after rejecting a lone bid for a new gantry crane at Guam's commercial port, a second round of bidding has left the Port Authority of Guam with the same lone bidder and a $1 million increase in the cost of the crane.
   A year ago, port authority officials said they would seek bids for the new crane, and during the bidding process several months later Shanghai-based Zhenhua Port Machinery was the only responding bidder. After questions arose over ZPMC's bid response, officials decided to start the bidding over. Despite 34 bid packets being picked up for the second round, when the bid was opened on Monday, ZPMC was again the lone responsive bidder.
   Citing currency rate changes, the higher cost of steel and an increased demand worldwide for gantry cranes, ZPMC also increased their estimate to provide the new crane to $9.6 million, with an option to buy a second new crane for $9.8 million. The price for both is about $2 million more than the first bid nine months ago.
   The delays in purchasing the new crane are threatening to overtake the 2010 start of construction activities related to a massive U.S. military build-up on the island as personnel on Okinawa are shifted to Guam. The military has said they need at least one new crane at the port to handle the new activity on the island.