MANILA BAY, Pasay City — After securing approval from the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) to use a special bidding documents in the pursuit of its latest infrastructure project, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has announced that the Philippine International Exhibition Center (PIEC) will soon rise on a newly reclaimed island in Manila Bay in Pasay City.

PIEC is a flagship ₱27-billion meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) infrastructure project of the Marcos Jr. which will be located at the 265-hectare Pasay Harbor City, using a special 'customized' set of bidding documents to bid out the design and build contract for the project.

Last January 31, the GPPB had approved the request of the DPWH to use customized bid documents that do not conform to the standard bid forms set by Republic Act 12009, otherwise known as the New Government Procurement Act of 2024. DPWH sought the exemption from using standard procurement forms for the PIEC design and build contract tender to address “procurement process failures and implementation issues.”

In particular, the DPWH proposed changes to the Philippine Bid Documents (PBDs) drafted by the GPPB, customizing certain clauses numbering up to 13 covering the Instruction to Bidders, General Conditions of Contract and Special Conditions of Contract.

The PIEC project is divided into two packages, with Package 1 allocated a budget of ₱17 billion covering the design and detailed engineering, foundation, structural and architectural works from 2024 to 2025 and consulting services for construction supervision for the two packages; and Package 2 which is allocated the remaining budget of ₱10 billion that will focus on civil works, including structural and architectural works from 2026 to 2027.