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Port Admin requested cancellation of airport project to Silva Group

Pago Pago Intl Airport sign
Nothing to do with “the dispute from PIOA Consulting or any other bidder”
fili@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A request from the Department of Port Administration led to Chief Procurement Officer (CPO), Dr. Oreta M. Crichton cancelling the award for Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the “construction management services” contract for one of the airport projects intended to be awarded to the Silva Group.

Crichton announced the cancellation in an Apr. 26th letter to “All Bidders” of the “Pago Pago International Airport Apron Rehabilitation — Construction Management Services — Stages 2 to 4” project, which is funded by the US Federal Aviation Administration.

In the letter, she said that the project “will be rebid at a later time” but in the letter offered no explanation behind the cancellation. (See yesterday’s edition for more information.)

Samoa News had sent email questions Monday morning to Crichton, who responded around 5:30p.m on Tuesday this week, explaining the RFQ ”was cancelled based on a request from the Department of Port Administration that the specifications contained in the solicitation were inadequate or ambiguous and would be revised.”

“This decision has nothing to do with the dispute from PIOA Consulting or any other bidder, which as you are aware, have already been issued a final decision by this office,” she said — referring PIOA’s Feb. 20th “procurement dispute letter” over the intended move by the Procurement Office to award the contract to Silva Group Corporation, a local corporation whose incorporators are Gloria Ausage, Vitale Savea, and Sia Savea — all US citizens.

Crichton also clarified that the award issued to Silva was a "Notice of Intent to Award”.

“A final award had not been issued as the technical and cost portions had yet to be successfully negotiated between the Department of Port Administration and the Silva Group,” she said, who didn’t respond to the Samoa News question as to how many bidders filed a dispute — besides PIOA.

ASG officials explained to Samoa News over the weekend that the Notice issued early to Silva Group was the "intent to award" based on the recommendations of the ASG Source Evaluation Board (SEB).

The officials say that the next step was the negotiations by the owner of the project — which is Port Administration — with viable companies and the final review by the chief procurement officer.

Officials of two locally owned construction companies told Samoa News yesterday that they were very pleased that PIOA Consulting — a sole proprietorship, owned by Leleagaatutuila Spitzenberg — took the initiative to “challenge” the government’s intent to award this project to Silva, “which is a very new company on island … at least one-year” and has received a “big contract” for the Nu’uuli Coconut Point Road Project, that broke ground earlier this year on Jan. 30, with a price tag of over $891,000.

The construction officials, who contacted Samoa News, asked not be identified by name for fear of retribution from the government in future construction projects.