The Brazilian National Waterway Transport Agency (ANTAQ) has disqualified the leading proposal for a lease contract in the Organized Port of Itajaí, Santa Catarina.
The proposal sought to facilitate containerised and general cargo transportation.
On 13 September, ANTAQ carried out a streamlined selection process. Following the disqualification, the second-ranked proponent, Mada Araujo Asset Management LTDA, was subsequently invited by the Permanent Commission for Bidding for Concessions and Leases (CPLA).
This company had submitted the second-largest proposal, offering to handle a monthly volume of 44,000 TEU. The CPLA requested that Mada Araujo Asset Management LTDA provide necessary documentation to demonstrate their qualifications and sought clarifications regarding the feasibility of their proposal.
READ: APM Terminals inks transition contract for the Port of Itajaí
However, subsequent examination revealed that the proposal put forth by Mada Araujo Asset Management LTDA was not viable.
ANTAQ noted that in the context of bidding processes, it is imperative for bidding committees to assess the feasibility of proposals. This evaluation ensures that the winning bid ultimately benefits the Public Administration to the greatest extent.
Subsequently, ANTAQ has initiated the next steps as outlined in the notice. The agency is now inviting the next-ranked company to submit the required documentation for qualification in line with the established procedures.
The notice specifies that a single appeals phase will be provided to all participants in the event, and the timeline for this phase will be made available by the CPLA on the Selection Process website.
At the end of last year, the Government of Brazil ditched the privatisation of the Port of Santos.
The original project was structured to provide BRL6.3 billion ($1.26 billion) in new investments, of which BRL2.1 billion ($420 million) would have been allocated to port infrastructure and BRL4.2 billion ($840.6 million) to the construction of a submerged tunnel to connect the cities of Santos and Guarujá.
