Quito hires firm to build US$50mn drinking water pipeline

Ecuadoran state water company Epmaps, which serves capital Quito, contracted the construction of the 14.7km Paluguillo-Puembo drinking water pipeline.

The contract was awarded to Hidalgo e Hidalgo for a cost of US$49.7mn, below the reference budget of US$57.9mn, Margarita Romo, director of the IDB’s coordination unit for Quito’s drinking water and sewerage program, told BNamericas.

The contract was signed at the beginning of September and the company has already started the works, which are scheduled to take 42 months.

Paluguillo-Puembo is part of a comprehensive potable water project for Calderón parish, which also includes the construction of the Puembo-Calderón conduction line, the Calderón potable water treatment plant, and expanding the capacity of tanks and distribution networks.

For the Puembo-Calderón section there are five offers in the evaluation process.

The contract, which has a reference price of US$52.8mn, is expected to be awarded during October and work is due to start at the end of the year.

The section is 24.7km long and the works are also due to take 42 months.

Romo also said the US$17.6mn Calderón drinking water treatment plant received seven bids and the contract should be awarded in about a month.