The Pre-Qualification, Bids and Awards Committee (PBAC) for the Negros Occidental Bulk Water Supply Project (NBWSP) has issued Resolution No. 2025-01, declaring the bidding unsuccessful after completing the public bidding process in line with the Instructions to Bidders. Pursuant to this resolution, the PBAC has decided to revise the project’s terms and conditions to secure a more beneficial outcome for the Provincial Government and the public, and to move forward with re-advertising and re-bidding the project in accordance with applicable laws.

The Invitation to Bid for the NBWSP was published on December 22, 2023. Following this announcement, eleven private proponents purchased the bidding documents. The bid submission took place on December 11, 2024, with only one bidder, the First Negros Water Consortium, submitting a proposal. After a detailed review by the Technical Working Group (TWG) and the Pre-Qualification, Bids, and Awards Committee (PBAC), negotiations with the sole bidder reached a deadlock over key project terms. As a result, no mutually acceptable agreement was achieved, preventing the successful completion of the bidding process.

The failure was attributed to disagreements over key financial provisions, particularly the proposed Bulk Water Charge (BWC) and the applicable escalation rates. Upon the joint and collective motion of its members, the PBAC for the NBWSP resolved to formally declare a failure of bidding for the process conducted on December 11, 2024, following unsuccessful negotiations with the sole bidder, the First Negros Water Consortium. The PBAC will proceed to revise the project terms and subsequently re-advertise and re-bid the project in accordance with the PPP Code of the Philippines, as amended, and other relevant laws, to help ensure its timely and successful implementation.