Panama awards Burunga sewerage contracts

Panama's health ministry has awarded two separate contracts for the design and construction of a sewerage network in the central and eastern areas of Burunga, in the Arraiján districto of Panamá Oeste province.

The contract to perform works in the central area went to Spanish firm Técnicas de Desalinización de Aguas (Tedagua), which beat offers from another five bidders with an offer of US$32.5mn.

Meanwhile, the contract to perform works on the eastern side went to Btd Proyectos 12, also a Spanish firm. The company posted an offer of US$27.9mn.

Although the award decisions were contested by consortiums Burunga Centro and Burunga Este, respectively, both were dismissed by the general directorate of public contracting, according to documents posted on government procurement website PanamaCompra.

The contracts were awarded through the coordinating unit of the country's sanitation program.

The project will be financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB).

The works include the installation of household sewerage connections, sewerage pipelines and collectors, as well as the construction of pumping stations. The infrastructure will take Burunga's wastewater to the Arraiján Este treatment plant.

The project will benefit 25,000 residents.

The works are part of the Panama Bay sanitation program’s expansion to Panamá Oeste, which requires more than US$600mn, most of which will come from multilateral agencies.