BIA expansion bid mired in influence and flaws
View(s):The long delayed Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) Phase II (Stage 2) expansion project meant to be a flagship infrastructure upgrade is now mired in a scandal, exposing glaring cracks in Sri Lanka’s procurement system and raising fears of official interference and malpractices.
According to a senior official of Ports and Civil Aviation Ministry, the bid evaluation of Sojitz-L&T consortium and Taisei Corporation has been delayed by months, with the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) persistently requesting clarifications. The process, initially expected to be completed by mid-2025, now extends to late September.
But what lies beneath the delay is far more troubling.
The tender closed on March 25, 2025, after a highly irregular extension granted just a week before the original March 18 deadline. The extension was reportedly requested by Sojitz-L&T, a move industry veterans condemned as unethical and a blatant sign of favouritism.
Worse, the consortium’s bid included a Power of Attorney (POA) that was not attested by a local registrar a fundamental legal requirement under Sri Lankan law.
Historically, such a failure would mean automatic disqualification. Yet, in this case, the TEC chose not to enforce the rule, allowing Sojitz-L&T to remain in contention.
“This is a textbook case of bending the rules for powerful players,” said one senior procurement expert serving in a state department , adding that such lapses undermine public trust and leave the process wide open to manipulation.
The High-Level Procurement Committee (HLPC), appointed by the new government, later stepped in and disqualified Sojitz-L&T, restoring a measure of credibility.
But behind the scenes, efforts were made to overturn that ruling. Certain officials even sought the opinion of the Attorney General (AG), a step procurement insiders’ call unnecessary.
The AG suggested the POA could remain valid for three months if attested later. But as procurement specialists point out, once a bid is submitted, documents cannot be replaced or amended.
Sojitz-L&T was also allowed to extend its bid validity beyond August 2025 using the same invalid POA, rendering the extension itself legally questionable.
Instead of upholding established standards, the TEC is now permitting the consortium to submit a freshly registered POA, a blatant violation of procurement rules. The pattern is clear: bending rules, ignoring legal flaws, and delaying evaluations all of which create fertile ground for undue influence and backroom deals. At stake is not just the future of a vital national project, but the credibility of Sri Lanka’s procurement framework itself.
If powerful bidders are allowed to sidestep legal requirements, experts warn, the BIA expansion could become yet another monument to political interference and institutional failure long before the new terminal sees a single passenger.
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