• THERESA MAE DULMAN
A new challenger has stepped forward to contest the IPM-Construction and Development Corp. (IPM-CDC) as the waste management provider of Bacolod City.
Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) said that while fresh competition has emerged, IPM-CDC has been declared the lowest calculated bidder with a P316 million offer, undercutting the P327 million bid of the International Solid Waste Integrated Management Specialist.
The two bidders for the city’s P330 million garbage hauling and disposal contract for 2026 on Thursday.
Both firms are also competing for the P110 million contract for the operation and maintenance of the city’s sanitary landfill.
The competition also extends into the city’s infrastructure expansion, specifically the construction of Cell No. 5 at the sanitary landfill which carries an approved budget of P65.7 million.
For that project, IPM-CDC faces a different opponent in D.C. Sandil Construction and Realty and Development Inc.
“What we want to whoever the bidder is the track record is in terms of hauling and collection so we can carry out what is stipulated in the contract to make the city clean,” said Councilor Homer Bais, committee chair on Environment and Ecology.
Bais clarified that being the lowest calculated bidder does not guarantee a contract award as the BAC Committee must still evaluate technical capability and past performance.
Under the new terms of reference, the winning contractor will be responsible for a total city clean-up and must increase the number of hauling trucks, regardless of the volume of waste collected.
The councilor said that any bidder can still be disqualified during the post-qualification stage if they fail to meet the city’s prescribed criteria for sanitary services.*
