Panama’s procurement authority has halted a $967,626 contract for solid waste management at Tocumen International Airport. The General Directorate of Public Procurement Panama issued the suspension after finding ambiguous requirements in the bidding documents. [Translated from Spanish]
The decision came less than a month after the same agency stopped another Tocumen procurement process. Both suspensions followed complaints from companies seeking to participate in the public tenders.
Ambiguous Requirements Trigger Procurement Halt
Director General Javier Marquínez signed the resolution suspending the tender. Panama Waste Management, S.A. filed a formal challenge against the bidding terms. The company was one of seven firms interested in the contract.
The General Directorate of Public Procurement Panama determined the tender documents contained unclear specifications. Bidders faced confusion about which permits were actually required for the work.
The contract covers waste collection across Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and the cargo terminal. It includes commercial areas, restaurants, offices, workshops, warehouses and public spaces.
Permit Requirements Create Confusion
The DGCP found a critical contradiction in the tender documents. The bid sheet asked for permits related to non-hazardous solid waste collection and transport. But it simultaneously demanded experience with hazardous waste management.
Officials concluded this lack of precision could create uncertainty about technical and regulatory requirements. The ambiguity potentially affected fair competition among bidders.
“That lack of precision could generate uncertainty about the technical, operational and regulatory requirements demanded of participants, affecting equal conditions within the process,” the resolution stated. [Translated from Spanish]
Procurement authorities also flagged another inconsistency. Tocumen required bidders to hold permits for cleaning sewers, grease traps and septic tanks. But those services were not clearly defined in the contract’s technical scope.
Separate $1.4 Million Contract Also Suspended
La Prensa identified a separate Tocumen tender for sewer and sanitary system maintenance. That contract carries a reference price of approximately $1.4 million. It also faced suspension until late May after a bidder complaint.
One of twelve interested companies alleged “exclusionary conditions that prevent the free and equitable concurrence of bidders.” Documents from that case mirror the concerns raised in the waste management dispute.
Tocumen Must Revise or Justify Requirements
The Public Procurement resolution orders Tocumen to suspend the bidding process. The airport authority must now correct the bidding terms or provide technical justification for each challenged requirement.
The DGCP also changed the process status on PanamaCompra from “under claim” to “suspended.” This formal step blocks any further action until Tocumen addresses the concerns.
Six other companies expressed interest in the nearly one million dollar contract. They include Pronto Aseo, Servicios Ambientales de Chiriquí, S.A., Ecotermo de Panamá, Garbage Collection, S.A., Aseo Capital, S.A. and Eco-Septic Panamá Corp.
The suspension marks the second time in weeks that procurement authorities have intervened in Tocumen contracting. Airport officials now face pressure to clarify their technical requirements before moving forward with either tender.