The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) has indefinitely postponed considering bids for construction of the subway system's Orange Line western extension.
MRTA governor Pakapong Sirikantaramas on Tuesday revealed that the Supreme Administrative Court had yet to rule on a bidding dispute and that the MRTA had to wait for the court's decision before it could open the bid envelopes.
A selection committee and the MRTA had asked the court to revoke a Central Administrative Court order instructing the MRTA to stick with the old bidding criteria for the Orange Line extension.
The court order followed a petition in September by one of the potential bidders, Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTSC), who claimed the new bidding terms could lead to unfair competition.
That petition came after the MRTA revised the bidding terms for the 140-billion-baht Orange Line despite having already sold bid envelopes to 10 interested parties.
Mr Pakapong said the selection committee had decided to postpone the bid envelope opening date set for Nov 23 and would wait for the Supreme Administrative Court to rule on the MRTA's appeal.
The MRTA accepted bid envelopes for the Bang Khun Non-Min Buri Orange Line project on Nov 9.
Two companies tendering for the project included the Bangkok Expressway and Metro Public Company Limited and the BSR Joint Venture, which consists of BTSC and Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction.