Sumitomo Appeals Rail Contract Ruling
A second losing rail bidder on Thursday filed its formal appeal with Hawaii’s Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.
Sumitomo Corporation of America’s appeal comes after the city of Honolulu last week rejected protests from both Sumitomo and another rail bidder, Bombardier, sticking with Ansaldo Honolulu.
Sumitomo maintains that it provides the best value and should have been the company chosen. The Italian rail manufacturer Ansaldo was awarded a $1.1 billion contract to design, build, operate and maintain Honolulu’s proposed rail system.
Gino Antoniello, VP, Transportation Systems and Equipment, said: “Our protest–a first for us–was prompted by the conviction that our bid was improperly passed over in favor of another vendor with less experience and a questionable track record that lacked the proper legal qualifications to undertake a project of this scope. Simply speaking, their bid does not meet all the specification requirements and adds up to less value with a significantly higher price tag overall – an extra $900 million more that will be taken out of the pockets of Honolulu taxpayers.”
Read our related coverage:
- Rail Protest Claims Ansaldo Bid to Cost Honolulu an Extra $900 Million
- Honolulu, Losing Rail Bidder Lawyering Up
- Praise for City Staff from Losing Rail Bidder
