The Hoa Lu consortium led by Vietnamese construction firm Coteccons has denounced the Vietur consortium led by Turkey’s IC Holdings for allegedly violating bidding regulations and failing to meet requirements of a tender package worth over VND35.2 trillion (US$1.5 billion) to construct the passenger terminal at Long Thanh International Airport in southern Dong Nai Province.

The Hoa Lu consortium sent its complaint to the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) and other relevant agencies, a representative of the group told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Saturday.

The consortium affirmed that it has proof of Vietur’s violations of bidding regulations and poor capability.

In particular, chairman of IC Holdings was involved in a corruption case as reported by international media agencies. Hoa Lu suggested Vietnamese agencies verify the background of the entrepreneur.

The passenger terminal at Long Thanh International Airport is the first project in Vietnam that IC Holdings has bid for, so it has inadequate understanding of Vietnam’s law and construction regulations, according to Hoa Lu.

The company has been also known for slowly executing many projects, being sent off some large projects, and getting involved in lawsuits against investors.

Notably, Hoa Lu also doubted the authenticity of IC Holdings’ experience in building airports.

The Vietnamese firm-led consortium said an international tender should be held for the passenger terminal package.

The selection of only Vietur may lead to unfairness and losses to the state budget, Hoa Lu said.

Therefore, Hoa Lu proposed reviewing the capability of consortiums joining the bidding or inviting an independent unit or international consultant to review their dossiers.

Three consortiums, including Hoa Lu, Vietur, and another led by a Chinese contractor, had earlier registered to bid for package 5.10 to construct and install equipment at the passenger terminal, the largest package of the big-ticket Long Thanh International Airport project.

The Hoa Lu consortium, headed by Coteccons, consists of six other Vietnamese firms — Hoa Binh, Central, An Phong, Delta, Unicons, and Thanh An — and Thailand’s Power Line Engineering.

Meanwhile, Vietur consortium, led by IC Holdings, comprises nine other firms, including Vietnamese ones — Ricons, Newtecons, and Sol E&C.

The consortium of CHEC-BCEG-Vietnam Contractors led by China Harbour Engineering includes 10 Vietnamese contractors, such as Thuan Viet, Xuan Mai, CDC, and Samcons Vietnam.

The ACV has recently announced that only Vietur meets all technical requirements for package 5.10.

An ACV leader said the corporation had received the Hoa Lu consortium’s complaint but refused to give comments.

The assessment and selection of contractors for the passenger terminal package are ongoing and the final result has not been announced.

ACV will comply with the law to carefully choose contractors, the leader affirmed.

Long Thanh International Airport, once completed, will be the largest airport in the nation with an annual capacity of 100 million passengers and five million metric tons of cargo.

The project needs an estimated investment of some VND336.63 trillion ($14.1 billion).

Like us on Facebook or  follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!