The bidding period to submit documents for Map Ta Phut port in Rayong province will not be extended, even as some bidders are calling for it, says the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT).
The IEAT is the auction host for the third phase of the Map Ta Phut port worth 55.4 billion baht. The project is open for document submission, ending on Feb 6.
Somchint Pilouk, IEAT's governor, said there are 4-5 companies interested in bidding that are calling for an extension, saying they do not have enough time for document preparation.
"We are confident we provided plenty of time to prepare the bidding documents, allowing roughly three months for this process. The IEAT cannot extend the period," she said.
In November, the third phase of the Map Ta Phut port ended the period to buy bid envelopes, with 18 local and foreign companies taking the bait, mainly petrochemical makers, power producers and construction providers.
Ten of the bidders are Thai companies, while eight are from China, Japan, Sweden and the Netherlands.
Ms Somchint said the Map Ta Phut port auction will not fail, unlike the third phase of Laem Chabang port in Chon Buri, which had only one unqualified bidder during its two-month period for document submission.
For the Laem Chabang port, the document submission deadline was Jan 14. Some 32 companies bought bid envelopes, but only one bidder submitted a bid.
The state-run Port Authority of Thailand was the auction host for the 114-billion-baht Laem Chabang project.
The Map Ta Phut and Laem Chabang seaports are two of the five megaprojects planned for the government's Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) scheme.
The other three EEC megaprojects are: the U-tapao aviation city (worth 290 billion baht); a maintenance, repair and overhaul centre (10.6 billion); and a high-speed railway linking three airports (225 billion).