BACOLOD CITY - The provincial government here has rescheduled to Nov. 22 the bidding for the proposed Negros Occidental Bulk Water Supply Project (NBWSP) as more companies are expected to bid for the PHP1.2-billion public-private partnership (PPP) initiative. After the initial bidding schedule last June, the province extended the bid submission until Oct. 28 'in response to requests from multiple bidders for an extension of the bidding timeline and to accommodate additional prospective bidders who may be interested to bid for the project'. As of Tuesday, there are 12 prospective bidders. Provincial legal officer Alberto Nellas Jr. said the new bidding date has been set upon the request of one of the bidders. 'They want to formulate the best possible bid for the project. We still have 12 bidders. It's really more than enough for a usual PPP project. That's with two additional bidders,' Nellas said in an interview. He added the project implementation remains on track despite the postponed bidding. 'We're still on schedule. Once we conduct the bidding, there are periods provided and it's still the same, there's a three-year construction period for the project,' Nellas said. Under the project, the winning bidder will enter into a contractual joint venture with the provincial government to finance, design, construct, operate and maintain a bulk water supply system with a minimum capacity of 34.5 million liters per day to be sourced from the Imbang River and/or the Malogo River. The treated bulk water will be supplied to six water service providers in the cities of Silay, Talisay, Victorias and Bacolod, as well as the municipalities of E.B. Magalona and Manapla. Source: Philippines News Agency