Commission Rejects Istmo Green's Bid for Panama City Garbage Tender

In its new statement, the third at this public event, the commission considers that the claiming consortium, Istmo Green Panamá, does not fully prove compliance with the requirements established for item 3 of the tender. It should be recalled that for zone 4 of the city, the Aseo del Este consortium offered $39.3 million, while Istmo Green's offer was $44.7 million. This zone comprises the districts of Tocumen, Pedregal, Mañanitas, Juan Díaz, Las Garzas, San Martín, 24 de diciembre and Pacora, and it is the only one where more than one bidder participated, and consequently, the one that has caused controversy. In the case of the capital, the district has been divided into four geographical zones, three of which are operated by private companies and one remains under the operation of the AAUD. The evaluation commission delivered a new report that could unblock the tender for garbage collection in the capital for the next seven years. In Zone 3, which includes Chilibre, Alcalde Díaz, Las Cumbres, Ernesto Córdoba and Caimitillo, the Aseo Total consortium offered $39.3 million. This is the same offer that will be provisionally copied by the Municipality of San Miguelito, while the new contractor who will be in charge of collection, transport and final disposal of garbage for the next 20 years is defined. In the other two collection zones, only one proposal was presented in each, which, according to the evaluation commission, meet the requirements. The global amount of the tender amounts to $140.3 million, which is equivalent to an average of over $6 million per year that will be paid to these companies for the service. In zone 2, made up of the districts of Betania, Pueblo Nuevo, San Francisco, Río Abajo, Parque Lefevre and Don Bosco, Istmo Green competed without rivals and presented a proposal for $46.3 million. The report adds that the price offered by the consortium for this item is higher than that presented by the other bidder. Only the decision of the Urban and Domestic Cleaning Authority (AAUD) remains to be seen, after the report is presented. The tender has been out for seven months since it was called, and according to the administrator of the AAUD, Ovil Moreno, he expected that the companies would already be operating this month. This is the first time that this concession has been for seven years, since when this service model began in 2023, it was for one year. However, he affirms that there is no problem with the issue of garbage collection, because "we have the capital quite under control". It is estimated that 2,000 tons of garbage are generated daily in the capital, which is treated at the Cerro Patacón sanitary landfill, active for four decades. According to the members of the commission, Istmo Green failed to comply with the accreditation of technical experience.