BCDA to secure New Clark City ICT deal by May

State-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) aims to seal by May a long-delayed joint venture for information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure in New Clark City, nearly three years after the project was first bid out.

This project, estimated to cost P2.5 billion, covers the commercialization, repair, expansion and maintenance of ICT infrastructure.

It will adopt an open-access fiber model that allows multiple transmission providers to use a shared physical fiber network, a setup intended to encourage competition and reduce costs in the ICT market.

“This initiative will significantly boost the city’s competitiveness, attract high-value and technology-driven industries, generate highly skilled jobs for Filipinos and ultimately, improve the overall quality of life,” BCDA president and CEO Joshua Bingcang said in a statement on Tuesday.

Under the latest bidding round, proposals will be accepted until Feb. 16 at 1 p.m.

The ICT project in New Clark City has faced repeated delays.

An initial bidding round in 2023 failed after prospective bidders had been found to be ineligible. A subsequent round launched in May 2025 also failed to produce any qualified proponent.

An invitation to bid issued in February 2025 was canceled to align with the implementing rules of the Public-Private Partnership Act.

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Since then, the BCDA has tapped the Asian Development Bank as transaction adviser.

Initially, the agency targeted the signing of the joint venture agreement by the fourth quarter of 2025.

BCDA officials said the ICT infrastructure was crucial to New Clark City’s development as the country’s first smart and sustainable metropolis, and to future-proofing the 9,450-hectare mixed-use estate.

“We invite interested parties to join us in this massive undertaking, which offers a unique opportunity to help shape New Clark City into a smart and digitally connected metropolis,” said Hedda Rulona, senior vice president for investment and financial management at BCDA.