A total of 38 companies have bought tender document packages for the estimated 7.3-billion-baht double-track rail route connecting Hua Hin and Prachuap Khiri Khan, acting State Railway of Thailand governor Anon Luangboriboon said on Thursday.
Mr Anon said the SRT closed sales of bidding envelopes on Monday and the 38 firms have 45 days to prepare their offers and submit them to the SRT for consideration on July 7.
After tenders are submitted the SRT will need another 10 days to check the bidders qualifications and then announce a list of those who qualify on July 17, Mr Anon said.
Any bidder found not qualified would have until July 20 to appeal.
An SRT source said the number of participating companies had increased from 31 in the previous, failed bidding process to 38, and now included mid-sized contractors interested in the Highways Department's projects.
The source also said the SRT asked the Comptroller General's Department to extend the period for contractors to submit their bids from 30 to 45 days.
The “superboard” for state procurements had agreed that 30 days was too short a time for bidders to work out their offer details and find business partners. Foreign companies also needed time to obtain recommendation documents from their embassies.
Some Thai companies were expected to partner with Chinese allies in submitting bids.
The 84km Hua Hin-Prachuap Khiri Khan line is one of five double-track rail projects that were, under the previous terms, criticised as being too expensive for small- and medium-sized construction companies.
The original terms, with just five contracts for five rail routes, were scrapped by the superboard and replaced. The new package divides the projects into 13 contracts, each with lower construction costs.
This has made the bidding more attractive for smaller construction companies.
The superboard, led by Prasarn Trairatvorakul, former governor of the Bank of Thailand, was appointed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to look into alleged irregularities involving the five projects, worth a total of 95.8 billion baht.
The SRT called bids for the Hua Hin-Prachuap Khiri Khan project first as it is the least costly of the five. The tendering processes for the other four routes should run a lot more smoothly, using the Hua Hin-Prachaup Khiri Khan line as a model.