Interested companies must submit their credentials documentation digitally for evaluation no later than January 20, 2023, until 11:59 pm, Dominican Republic time.
SANTO DOMINGO - The Pro-Pedernales Trust formally invited all national or foreign legal entities to participate in the competitive process for the selection of a strategic partner for the purpose of capitalizing and developing the tourist destination of Cabo Rojo, Pedernales.
"The Dominican State is seeking a local or international partner with top-level business credentials, optimal economic capacity to meet the project's requirements, and experience in developing sustainable tourist destinations, so that it can support the State in implementing this very important plan," states the document containing the terms and conditions.
It establishes that said partner will assume leadership of the development, administration and operation thereof in permanent coordination with the State through the bodies and governance rules that are established, in the legal vehicle that is created for these purposes.
Through publications in national and international media, the Trust opened the competitive process number FID-SE-0001, through which it calls on national and foreign companies to express their interest in participating in it.
“Today is a historic day for Pedernales and the country. We have formally launched the competitive process to find a private partner for the development of Cabo Rojo. This unprecedented initiative will enable the most ambitious Public-Private Partnership in Dominican history. Pedernales will not stop,” stated Sigmund Freund, Executive Director of the General Directorate of Public-Private Partnerships (DGAPP), the agency through which the launch was announced.
He added that the start of this process of searching for a strategic partner opens the doors to private investment, both national and international, to be part of this ambitious development plan that will undoubtedly be the economic engine of the entire southern region and one of the most important tourist centers in the country.
According to the document, all legal entities that meet the requirements described in the "Terms and Conditions of Phase I: Expression of Interest of the Competitive Process for the Selection of a Strategic Partner" will be eligible to participate in the process, which can be consulted on the Pro-Pedernales Trust website, www.propedernales.do .
As a prerequisite to participate and submit the required documentation, every proponent must pay the Pro-Pedernales Trust the sum of US$10,000, non-refundable, according to the specifications established in the document.
Likewise, interested companies must submit their credentials documentation digitally for evaluation no later than January 20, 2023, at 11:59:59 pm, Dominican Republic time.
It specifies that “any proponent who meets all the requirements and credential documents requested in the Terms and Conditions will be included in the list of prequalified proponents, thus becoming eligible to participate in Phase II of the Competitive Process.”.
Phases
The National and International Competitive Process for the Selection of a
Strategic Partner is divided into three phases. The first is prequalification based on merit and background
and concludes with the declaration of prequalified proponents. The second begins with the invitation to the prequalified proponents to submit economic proposals in accordance with the terms and
conditions, to be issued until the date established in the schedule of activities of the
process, and concludes with the selection and the respective closing ceremony.
Phase three begins with negotiations between the selected proponent and the Pro-Pedernales Trust to sign contracts related to the capitalization of the business entity and corporate governance between the Pro-Pedernales Trust and the Strategic Partner
Cabo Rojo Project
The Pedernales Tourism Development Project, Cabo Rojo, is designed to be carried out in four phases, over an average period of 10 years, and an estimated investment of US$2.245 billion.
The first phase stipulates an investment of US$1.3 billion for the construction of 4,700 rooms (which will become 12,000 rooms at the end of the project).
The plan aims to transform the province and surrounding areas into a leading global destination throughout the Caribbean and Central America region, promoting responsible tourism that supports the proper conservation of Jaragua National Park, Sierra de Bahoruco National Park, protected areas of Playa Bahía de las Águilas, wetlands of Cabo Rojo, Playa Larga, Playa Blanca,
Salados and existing mangroves.
Eight hotels will begin operations during the opening of this first phase, for which the hotel chains Hilton, Marriott, Sunwing, AmResorts, Iberostar Group and Karisma Hotels & Resort have already signed a letter of commitment to begin construction of their hotels starting in mid-2022.
In this first phase, an international airport will also be built in Pedernales, a shopping center, and all the necessary basic infrastructure works will be completed, such as the construction of an aqueduct, a water treatment plant, and an electrical transmission system.
