Works of Sewerage and Drainage Infrastructure in Dutch Quarter, Sint Maarten

New clarification added: Q9: Upon analyzing the BOQ, we noticed a discrepancy between the quantities listed in the summary and the sum of the quantities for each lot.Could you please clarify the correct quantities for the following lines:Roads and footpath: R1 Cut concrete road open for trench 2 m wide, thickness 0.25 m, - Summary Quantity / Calculated quantities :783 / 784R5 Fiber concrete : road repair of cut-open trench; supply and install, including grading, compacting, formwork, dowels, coupling rods- Summary Quantity / Calculated quantities : 4314 / 4315. R6 Base course: supply, install, grade and compact , t= 20 cm - Summary Quantity / Calculated quantities : 314/ 354Sewage: S1 Excavation, where sewage pipes, sewage pits, drainage pipes and house connections are to be constructed - Summary Quantity / Calculated quantities : 8646 / 9131S2 supply and install sewage pipe Ø 200 mm including clean sand, back-fill and compaction - Summary Quantity / Calculated quantities : 2678 / 2778. S3 supply and install sewage pipe Ø 250 mm including clean sand, back-fill and compaction - Summary Quantity / Calculated quantities : 345 /346. S4 Supply and install sewerage pits Tegra Ø 600 mm including cover - Summary Quantity / Calculated quantities : 101/ 104. S5 Supply and install house connections Ø 125 including inspection pits, special pieces, saddles and connections; average pipe length = 7.5 m; inc clean sand, back-fill and compaction - Summary Quantity / Calculated quantities : 320 / 323. S6 Disposal of surplus excavated material, not suitable for the works - Summary Quantity / Calculated quantities : 4323 / 4 566A9: Bidders may refer to Response No. 7 and the revised BoQ issued under Amendment No. 1. The noted discrepancies in the summary totals occurred because the quantities of one lot were inadvertently omitted from the initial summary sheet aggregation. Please note that minor fractional differences between the summary sheets and the sum of individual lot sheets may also exist due to standard decimal rounding. Bidders are reminded that the quantities provided are estimated and provisional, serving solely to establish a common basis for bidding. This is a Measure and Pay (admeasurement) contract. The basis of payment will be the actual, net quantities of permanent works physically executed on-site, verified by the Engineer, and valued at the fixed unit rates submitted in the bid. Therefore, minor discrepancies in the estimated bidding quantities do not affect final project payments or contract execution.Q10: Permits to be obtained by the Contractor" -> Infrastructural permits can take between 3-8 months to be obtained, how to deal with this?A10: The Contractor is responsible for obtaining all necessary approvals and permits from local authorities. Bidders must factor the processing times and potential administrative delays into their initial construction schedule.Q11: The new topographic data will be transferred into the designs drawings and updated design drawings will be prepared and submitted to the Supervisor for approval within 4 weeks after commencement of works." -> What design updates are to be expected? After the new topographic survey, the only things that can change are: Level of the inspection pits, min. cover of the pipes to be maintained, please inform what other design updates are to be expected. 4 weeks seems also very short including the complete topographic survey and updating of the drawings. A11: The purpose is not a full design revision, but rather the preparation of executable Shop Drawings that adapt the baseline design to exact site conditions and to a sufficient details level for the contractor to execute the works. Q12: What is the expected award & start date of the works?A12: As indicated in the Tab "Particulars" in eSourcing,  the expected award date is 31 October 2026. The start date for the works will be confirmed based on the Contractor’s programme. However, based on the pre-construction activities, the works could be expected to commence around January 2027.

New clarification added: Q6: Could you please provide the missing Xref files for the AutoCAD drawings? The references for Xref_Existing Situation and Xref_Kadaster Boundaries are currently missing, so we are unable to view the complete drawings.A6: Please refer to Amendment No. 1. The requested Xref files have been uploaded to the eSourcing platform under the “Documents” tab.Q7:  In the BOQ (Annex 1C), the total quantity does not match the sum of the quantities distributed among the 15 lots for items R1, R5, R6, S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, M1 and M2. Kindly clarify and confirm the correct quantities. Additionally, please provide the BOQ in Excel format. Thank you.A7: Please refer to Amendment No. 1. and No. 2. The requested BOQ files have been uploaded to the eSourcing platform under the “Documents” tab.Q8: Can the excel file of the BOQ be provided?A8: Please refer to Amendment No. 1. and No. 2. The requested BOQ files have been uploaded to the eSourcing platform under the “Documents” tab.  

New amendment added #2: Amendment No. 2Potential bidderss are notified of the subsequent adjustments to the Invitation to Bid (ITB/2026/63925) documentation, which should be reflected in their respective submissions:1. Documentation Updates:The following items have been incorporated:Annex 1C: UNOPS - 24793 - DUTCH QUARTER SECTION 2 - BOQ - Amendment No. 1.xlsExcept for the modifications detailed in this amendment, all other aspects of the document remain valid and unchanged.UNOPS

New amendment added #1: Amendment No. 1Potential bidderss are notified of the subsequent adjustments to the Invitation to Bid (ITB/2026/63925) documentation, which should be reflected in their respective submissions:1. Documentation Updates:The following items have been incorporated:Pre-bid meeting presentation ITB/2026/63925.pdfPre Bid Meeting Minutes ITB/2026/63925.pdf Annex 1A.7 - Xref_Existing Situation.dwg Annex 1A.8 - Xref_Kadaster Boundaries.dwg Annex 1C: UNOPS - 24793 - DUTCH QUARTER SECTION 2 - BOQ - Amendment No. 1.pdf:The following item has been withdrawn:Annex 1C: UNOPS - 24793 - DUTCH QUARTER SECTION 2 - BOQ.pdfExcept for the modifications detailed in this amendment, all other aspects of the document remain valid and unchanged.UNOPS

New clarification added: Q3: Will the project qualify for the 5% Turnover Tax exemption?A3: No. The project does not grant the contractor an exemption from the local 5% Turnover Tax (TOT). In accordance with the Duties and Taxes section of the Tender Particulars:a) UNOPS is exempt from the direct payment of taxes and VAT under Article II, Section 7 of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations. Consequently, proposed prices must not reflect a direct VAT/tax charge billed to UNOPS.b) The contractor remains fully responsible for paying all taxes levied by local authorities on income derived from the contract. Any Turnover Tax (TOT), VAT, or indirect taxes applied to goods, materials, equipment, or services purchased by the contractor to execute the works are considered contractor operational costs.c) Bidders must account for and include all applicable local taxes (including the 5% Turnover Tax) within their unit rates and total bid price. Taxes must not be listed as a separate direct charge to UNOPS.Q4: Will the project be eligible for the “Tax Holiday” regime (reduced 2% tax rate on profit before tax), instead of the standard corporate income tax regime (34.5%)?A4: UNOPS cannot confirm or grant eligibility for local corporate income tax regimes or tax holidays. In accordance with the Duties and Taxes section of the Tender Particulars:a) The contractor is solely responsible for the payment of all taxes levied by their government or other relevant entities on their income derived from this UNOPS contract.b) Eligibility for specific corporate income tax brackets, exemptions, or "Tax Holiday" incentives is a matter determined entirely by the competent local tax authorities in Sint Maarten, not by UNOPS.c) Bidders are strongly advised to consult directly with local tax authorities or a tax professional to determine their specific corporate income tax obligations. Offerors must factor their applicable income tax liabilities into their overall financial proposal, as UNOPS does not manage or reimburse the contractor's income tax costs.Q5: As this is our first submission through the UNOPS eSourcing platform, could you please confirm whether completion of the "Questionnaires" and "Supplier Forms" sections is mandatory for a bid to be considered compliant and eligible for evaluation?A5: Yes. Completion of the “Questionnaires” and “Supplier Forms” sections is required in order to submit your Offer through the UNOPS eSourcing platform. The system will not allow you to submit your Offer if any of the mandatory sections have not been completed.Please note, however, that the responses provided in the Drive Questionnaire are not, in themselves, grounds for disqualification. The information provided in this questionnaire is collected for procurement and administrative purposes and will not result in disqualification solely based on the responses provided.Bidders are nevertheless requested to ensure that all required information and forms are completed accurately and submitted before the deadline.You can also access the UNOPS eSourcing instructional videos and tutorials, which provide guidance on how to complete and submit your Offer through the platform, at the following link:https://esourcing.unops.org/#/Help/Videos https://esourcing.unops.org/#/Help/Guides 

New clarification added: Q2: We are interesting to answer at this tender. We would like to organize a site visite, could you please follow a date, we will be available between the 8 to the 10 of september.Could you please confirm that is possible to plan a visit on these dates ?A2: Please be advised that UNOPS will not be organizing or conducting an official site visit for this tender process. However, bidders are strongly encouraged to independently visit the site prior to bid submission to thoroughly familiarize themselves with the prevailing conditions. Kindly note the following stipulations regarding independent site visits:1. Responsibility and Liability: Any independent visit must be arranged and conducted solely at the bidder’s own risk, responsibility, and expense.2. Representation and Branding: Under no circumstances are offerors permitted to utilize any UNOPS logos, insignia, or branding. Furthermore, bidders must not indicate, imply, or represent in any manner that their personnel or company is acting on behalf of, or representing, UNOPS during these visits.For guidance in locating the site, bidders are invited to refer to Section 2.2.1, General Description of Location and Boundaries within the tender documents, as well as the technical drawings, which indicate the relevant street names. Should any questions arise as a result of an independent site visit, they must be formally submitted through the eSourcing platform, strictly adhering to the established clarification procedure.

New clarification added: Q1: Could you please confirm whether Contract Prices are fixed or subject to adjustment? Under Sub-Clause 13.7, both “Applicable” and “Not applicable” are shown, but no option appears to be selected. Please clarify whether any price adjustment/escalation mechanism applies under this Contract.A1: UNOPS confirms that the Contract Prices are fixed and are not subject to any price adjustment, inflation, or cost-escalation mechanism for the duration of the Contract.The checkbox next to Sub-Clause 13.7 should be marked as "Not applicable", it is a formatting issue. This issue will be corrected with Amendment 1.