Valec defines construction of the West-East Railroad

The construction of Ferrovia da Integração Oeste-Leste (Fiol – West-East Interconnection Railroad), work that will interconnect the city of Ilhéus, in the coastal region of Bahia, to the municipality of Figueirópolis, in Tocantins, already has an owner. Or better, has twenty-four (24) owners. Yesterday, state-owned company Valec Engenharia, Construção e Ferrovias has completed the bidding process of 1,022 km of railroad tracks, section that will advance from the coastal region to the city of Barreiras, in the west part of Bahia. The works, divided in seven batches, sum investments of R$ 4.198 billions, money that will come from Programa de Aceleração do Crescimento (PAC – Growth Acceleration Program).

The consortium that won the largest contract – de R$ 739.9 millions – is formed by construction companies Andrade Gutierrez, Barbosa Mello, and Serveng. The second largest batch – R$ 720.1 millions – went to Mendes Junior, Sanches Tripolini, and Fidens. Together, the seven consortiums that will construct the first section of Fiol gather twenty-four companies.

The consortium formed by construction companies Camargo Corrêa and Queiroz Galvão participated in the bidding process of five of the seven Fiol batches, but did not win any of them. All contracts are still in the administrative appeal stage – of five business days – and may be contested by competitors.

The original version of the notice to bid elaborated by Valec for Fiol was the object of a series of contestations of Tribunal de Contas da União (TCU). The analysis of the text found out irregularities that could lead to competitiveness restrictions and overprice. The corrections made by TCU also resulted in the reduction of the cost estimated for the works. The reference figure dropped from R$ 4.41 billions to R$ 4.24 billions, very close to the cost that in fact Valec signed with the consortiums.

The entire process, which also involved safety court orders moved by the companies, delayed the work schedule. The original term was to begin constructions in July. According to PAC 2008 goals, all would be ready by 2012. Now, with the selection of the contractors, the government promised that the works will start in October 14th. The expectation is that Ibama issues the installation license for the bid section still this week.

Valec’s forecast is that the first 537 km section of Fiol, between Ilhéus and Caetité, is completed by July 2012. The second stage, which joins 485 km more until the municipality of Barreiras, is foreseen for July 2013. The remainder represents 505 km to connect the network to the city of Figueirópolis, where it meets the North-South Railroad (FNS). However, this last section is still in the study stage and there is still no date for the beginning of the bidding process.

The tracks of Fiol foresee the transport of 52 million tons of cargo until 2018. The largest part of this volume – 45 millions – will consist of iron ore. The company Bahia Mineração (Bamin) has already signaled intentions to transport 19.5 million tons of iron ore from the mine in Caetité (BA) until the terminal in Ponta da Tulha, in the coastal region of Bahia. Besides iron ore, the movement of more than 5.2 million tons of grains and 1.3 million tons of sugar and alcohol are estimated.

The West-East railroad has fundamental functions to leverage the Northeast region, because it will create a logistic mean for the region, which today has inhibited growth and locations that are not explored, says Bernardo Figueiredo, president of Agência Nacional de Transportes Terrestres (ANTT). This railroad changes the face of Bahia. In the future, when it is connected to the North-South railroad, we will also have the option of port interconnection with the Middle West, generating many logistics options for the country.

Yesterday, Valec also opened the envelopes with the proposals of consortiums interested in constructing the last stage of the North-South railroad. The section, accounting for 670 km divided in five batches, will leave Ouro Verde (GO) and follow until Estrela d’Oeste (SP).

Until the closure of this edition, Valec had not disclosed the meeting minute but, as verified by Valor, the consortium formed by constructor companies Camargo Corrêa e Queiroz, which did not win any bids regarding Fiol, won the competition for batches two and three. Batch one went to the Aterpa and Abate consortium, while batch four went to the Constran, Egesa, and Carioca consortium. The Tiisa Triunfo Iesa Infraestrutura consortium got the fifth batch. There will be a five-day term to contest the bidding starting from the date it is published in the Official Gazette of the Federal Executive.

Fonte: Valor Online