ISLAMABAD: The government has decided in principle to move forward with awarding the Rs. 205 billion Kharian-Rawalpindi Motorway (M-13) project to the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) through a negotiated procurement process to accelerate the launch and completion of the strategically important infrastructure project.
According to a report, the decision was taken during a meeting of the Public Private Partnership Authority (P3A) Board of Directors, chaired virtually by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Privatization Muhammad Ali.
The 117-kilometer motorway is expected to improve regional connectivity by reducing the distance between Lahore and Rawalpindi by around 100 kilometers and cutting travel time by more than an hour compared with the existing M-2 Motorway.
The National Highway Authority (NHA) informed the board that FWO is already involved in the adjoining Lahore-Sialkot and Sialkot-Kharian motorway sections, positioning it to begin work on the project without delay.
According to officials, Section 20 of the P3A Act, 2017, allows negotiated procurement under specific circumstances. The proposal will now be submitted to the federal cabinet for final approval.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the project in April this year at an estimated cost of Rs. 203.32 billion.
The project will be developed under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model. Officials said commercial arrangements, including financing, concession period, tolling framework and risk allocation, will be finalized in accordance with the approved transaction framework and relevant legal requirements.
Via: Dawn News
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