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### Viewing cable 08PANAMA732, PANAMA CANAL AUTHORITY BIDDING PROCESS

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
08PANAMA732 | 2008-09-08 23:05 | 2011-05-31 00:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Panama

`

    VZCZCXYZ0003
    PP RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHZP #0732/01 2522305
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    P 082305Z SEP 08
    FM AMEMBASSY PANAMA
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2493
    INFO RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
    RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY
    RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L PANAMA 000732

    SIPDIS

    DEPT OF COMMERCE - MATTHEW GAISFORD
    DEPT OF TREASURY - SARA SENICA

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/11/2018
    TAGS: ECON EINV ETRD MARR PM EWWT
    SUBJECT: PANAMA CANAL AUTHORITY BIDDING PROCESS

    Classified By: Ambassador Stephenson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

    ¶1. (C) Summary: Consistent with normal operations, the Panama
    Canal Authority (ACP) is running a fair, transparent, and
    predictable process for the Panama Canal expansion contracts.
     Bids for the 3.2 billion dollar third set of locks contract,
    the centerpiece of the overall 5.25 billion dollar expansion
    project, are due December 10.  Post assesses that the bid
    process would be difficult to manipulate and that the
    government of Panama (GOP) and the ACP remain committed to a
    clean process.  Reportedly, disarray in the French consortium
    could lead to a request to extend the bidding deadline or the
    failure of the group to submit a bid.  Post continues to
    advocate for a level playing field for all companies
    competing for the expansion contracts while generally
    encouraging the selection of the American-led consortium and
    the maximization of U.S. content by all participating
    consortia.  End Summary.

    -------------------------------------
    Process of Awarding the Lock Contract
    -------------------------------------

    ¶2. (C) ACP Administrator Alberto Aleman Zubieta explained the
    bidding process for the third set of locks contract to
    Ambassador Stephenson during her August 21 courtesy call.
    Aleman stated that on December 10, 2008, the remaining three
    or four competing consortia are required to submit their bids
    for the locks contract for the Panama Canal expansion.
    (Note: There are four prequalified multinational consortia:
    Bechtel (American led), United Group for the Canal (Spanish
    led), Atlantic-Pacific Consortium of Panama (French led), and
    CANAL Consortium (Spanish led).)

    ¶3. (C) Aleman further explained that the ACP requires all
    consortia to include separate technical and financial
    packages.  The Authority promises to immediately lock the
    unopened financial packages in the National Bank vault, while
    the four separate sub-committees of the Technical Committee
    will evaluate independently portions of the technical
    packages based upon known objective criteria.  Aleman expects
    these committees to finish in March, with an independent
    auditor documenting all of their work and decisions.

    ¶4. (C) When the Technical Committee finishes assigning points
    to the technical packages, the ACP will conduct a public
    televised opening of the financial packages, Aleman noted.
    The process will then advance by the ACP immediately scoring
    the financial submissions and openly adding the technical and
    financial scores together to determine a winner.  The
    technical score contains a maximum of 5500 points or 55
    percent of the total possible points.  The financial score
    contains a maximum of 4500 points or 45 percent of the total
    possible points.  For the financial score, the lowest bidder
    will receive the entire 4500 points and the other consortia
    will receive points proportional to how much more expensive
    their bid are compared to the lowest bid.  ACP interlocutors
    believe a proposed 400 million USD performance bond will
    inhibit a consortium from trying to win the contract with a
    lowball bid and then not being able to complete the project.
    Aleman finished by stating he had told each consortium that
    the process was based upon the "best effort with the best
    price" and not any political or monetary influence.  He
    emphasized that the process would be fair, transparent, and
    predictable.

    ---------------------
    Perception of the ACP
    ---------------------

    ¶5. (C) ACP's management of the bidding process is consistent
    with their overall reputation.  The ACP is considered by the
    Panamanian public, Post, CH2MHill (the project management
    advisor), and Bechtel to be a model of a fair and transparent
    organization.  For example, the ACP cites its safety record
    (29 accidents in 2000 versus 10 accidents in 2007), profits
    (580 million dollars in 2000 versus 1 billion 760 million
    dollars in 2007), and ability to maximize the volume of
    shipping of the canal (230.2 versus 312.8 million net tonnage
    based on the Panama Canal Universal Measurement System).  The
    ACP procurement system also exemplifies its efficiency and
    transparency.  The Authority advertises all needed goods and
    services on-line and subsequently lists the winning company
    along with the price paid and the procurement decision-maker
    in the ACP.

    -----------------
    Views of CH2MHill
    -----------------

    ¶6. (C) Panama-based representatives of CH2MHill, the U.S.
    firm that serves as the project management advisor to the ACP
    for the canal expansion, maintain that the ACP is supervising
    the bidding process for the locks contract and other related
    contracts in a fully transparent manner.  CH2MHill
    representatives maintain that their reputation is at stake if
    the process is perceived as being less than fully
    transparent.  They praised the U.S. position calling for
    transparency and that a contract awarded on best price and
    technology was appropriate.  The CH2MHill representatives
    opined that the United States and the many U.S. companies
    involved in the expansion and the consortia would be best
    served if the USG maintained its public posture of monitoring
    and assuring a transparent process.

    -----------------------------
    French Consortium in Trouble?
    -----------------------------

    ¶7. (C) CH2MHill representatives reported that the French
    Ambassador recently called on a senior GOP official (not an
    ACP official), whom they did not identify.  Supposedly, the
    French Ambassador made a blunt push on behalf of the French
    led consortium and it appeared to have been rebuffed.  The
    French group, allegedly, had run into issues that it calls
    "deal-breakers".  From contacts in the ACP, Post learned that
    the last extension for bid submissions (to December 10, 2008)
    was granted to satisfy the French and that the French came
    back once again asking for more time and/or concessions.
    CH2MHill representatives speculated that the French challenge
    might have reflected cash flow issues and the group's comfort
    level in mitigating the overall risk of the project rather
    than actual contractual elements.  It was also possible,
    CH2MHill reps added, that the French were looking for a way
    to leave the competition for reasons other than these.  They
    believed that the evaluation process was immune to
    extraordinary efforts due to the transparency,
    comprehensiveness, and the number of people involved in the
    process.  The ACP recently implemented a rule that mandated
    that the ACP Inspector General (IG) be present at all
    meetings between the consortia and CH2MHill; supplementing
    the prior requirement that the IG be present for all meetings
    between the ACP and individual consortia.  The CH2MHill
    representatives advised that they would not hesitate to
    contact the Senior Commercial Officer if they thought the
    bidding process was less than transparent or one of the
    consortia used unethical means to win the contract.
    Representatives of Bechtel, Caterpillar (who expects to
    supply the winning consortium with equipment), and CH2MHill
    told Senior Commercial Officer in separate meetings that the
    French consortia was in disarray and would likely bow out.

    -----------------------------
    Current U.S. Embassy Advocacy
    -----------------------------

    ¶8. (U) Since the inception of this project, the U.S. Embassy
    has pushed the GOP to be fair, transparent, and predictable
    in its dealings.  Bechtel is the only U.S. company that is
    leading a consortium; however, each consortium plans on
    procuring goods and services from the United States due to
    the proximity of the United States and the weak dollar.

    ¶9. (U) Since each consortium needs to purchase U.S. goods and
    services, the Department of Commerce provided additional
    guidance to the Senior Commercial Officer (SCO) to maximize
    the percentage of "U.S. content" in each of the four
    consortia.  The SCO provided names of U.S. companies that can
    provide specialized goods and services to each of the
    consortia.

    --------------------------------------------- -----
    Bechtel's Advocacy Request and Views of Bechtel UK
    --------------------------------------------- -----

    ¶10. (C) According to the U.S. Department of Commerce Advocacy
    Center, Bechtel submitted a request for "soft advocacy" from
    its U.S. based offices.  The Advocacy Request is pending.  A
    representative of Bechtel UK, the Bechtel Office leading
    Bechtel's bid for canal expansion work, confirmed to the
    Senior Commercial Officer that Bechtel only wanted "soft
    advocacy" - which Bechtel defined as advocacy for an open and
    transparent process, as well as expressing the Embassy's hope
    that an American company wins and is able to carry on the
    tradition of Panamanian-American collaboration in the Canal.
    He believed that the "hard advocacy" would not be effective
    E
    or in Bechtel's best interests.  Bechtel representatives
    repeated the "soft advocacy" request to the incoming Economic
    Counselor during an August 22 meeting at their Frederick,
    Maryland office.

    -------
    Comment
    -------

    ¶11. (C) Post will continue to monitor the bidding process and
    to advocate for a level playing field through a fair,
    transparent, and predictable process.  We will also, as
    appropriate, indicate that the United States - Panamanian
    partnership in the future would be bolstered by an American
    company at the helm of the flagship expansion project.  To
    date, Post sees no evidence that the bid process is in danger
    of being subverted, but will remain vigilant.  Post looks
    forward to a U.S. company winning the locks contract.
    Concurrently, Post continues to maximize the U.S. content in
    all four consortia.
    STEPHENSON

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