Panama Says
Canal Contract Winner Not Chosen Yet
Panama (Reuters) - Panama said on Friday it
has not picked yet the winner of the largest
contract in the Panama Canal's $5.25 billion
expansion, playing down comments from a
company claiming it was charging ahead in
the tender.
Massimo Ponzellini, chairman of Impregilo
SpA, said earlier on Friday that a
consortium including the Italian company had
obtained top marks in the technical
appraisal of bids to expand the Panama
Canal.
Ponzellini also said tenders from the three
consortia bidding on the project would be
opened June 29.
'The ACP categorically denies the statements
by Ponzellini,' the Panama Canal Authority,
or ACP, said in a statement referring to
both the choosing of a winner and a date for
making the announcement.
Technical evaluations of three consortia's
proposals to build locks and water-saving
basins have not concluded, the ACP said.
Bids for the project are locked in a Panama
bank vault and will be opened in public when
evaluations finish.
Impregilo has said the whole Panama
expansion project is worth $3.7 billion and
it has a potential 37 percent stake in any
contract.
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