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Six entities joined the pre-bid conference for the Philippine Ports Authority’s container registry and monitoring system for inbound foreign containers
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They are Ascent Solutions Philippines, Inc., Association of International Shipping Lines, Filmetrics Corp., Gothong Southern Supply Chain, Inc.; NextIX, Inc., and Omniprime Marketing Inc.
The pre-bid conference for the Philippine Ports Authority’s (PPA) container registry and monitoring system for inbound foreign containers has attracted six entities.
Ascent Solutions Philippines, Inc., Association of International Shipping Lines (AISL), Filmetrics Corp., Gothong Southern Supply Chain, Inc.; NextIX, Inc., and Omniprime Marketing Inc. participated in the March 8 pre-bid conference livestreamed in PPA’s YouTube channel.
READ: PPA seeks contractor for P890M container registry, monitoring system
The Trusted Operator Program-Container Registry and Monitoring System (TOP-CRMS) and Empty Container Storage Shared Service Facility project covers the supply, delivery of full technology stack, financing, technical implementation services, and managed services to implement the system. PPA will spend P980 million for the project.
During the pre-bid conference, some of the firms’ representatives asked if the deadline for submission of bids scheduled on March 22 can be moved to give them more time to prepare documents.
The PPA-Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) said the request will be deliberated on and a supplemental bid bulletin issued if there is a change in timeline; otherwise the March 22 deadline stays, which is also the date for opening of bids.
A prospective bidder representative also asked if public hearings have been conducted to inform stakeholders of the project, noting they spoke with three big trucking organizations that claimed to be unaware of the project.
The PPA BAC said its Commercial Services Department is finalizing details of the public hearing but an initial hearing was already conducted last year.
PPA in June 2021 conducted a virtual public hearing on its proposal to introduce a container tracking and monitoring system that will record and monitor in real time the movement of all import containers—from their discharge from the port terminal to their return to an empty depot and to the port for re-export.
The 2021 hearing was attended by representatives of some of the port stakeholders’ groups. Truckers’ representatives were not present.
AISL had earlier proposed to develop, manage and implement a digital platform for PPA’s proposed container registry and monitoring system. AISL’s proposal expands the association’s existing GoFast Container Monitoring System, a web-based trade and logistics platform providing digital connectivity among foreign shipping lines, importers and their authorized customs brokers, terminal operators, off-dock container freight stations and off-dock depots.
READ: AISL to PPA: Use GoFast as container monitoring system
AISL’s proposed platform aims to facilitate the realization of PPA’s proposed CRMS at the same time “eliminate the need for expensive tagging devices and container tracking infrastructure and imposing an entirely container monitoring system that is not integrated with existing port user systems.”
In October 2021, PPA issued Administrative Order No. 04-2021, which prescribes the policy on registration and monitoring of containers entering and leaving PPA ports, including the scheduling, loading, unloading, release and movement of all containers.
Under the order, PPA will prescribe and adopt a system for the registration and monitoring of containers. The system will have features that include, among others, a facility to record all containers passing in and out of the port terminals.
All containers are required to register in the system to be adopted by PPA and to secure a container insurance policy. The insurance policy will be used instead of the container deposit and container maintenance fees being required by international shipping lines “in order to protect local importers from additional transaction costs.”
AO 04-2021 covers all containers originating from foreign ports for unloading at government or private ports under the administrative jurisdiction of PPA.
Stakeholders earlier voiced concerns the proposed system will just duplicate monitoring systems already in place for containers, particularly those set for discharge from terminals.
PPA Port Operations and Service Department manager Atty. Hiyasmin Delos Santos said they do not intend to duplicate existing systems but plan to interface the proposed system with them. – Roumina Pablo
