Koreans Fight for Hospital Bids

The South Korean consortium Samsung S.A. filed a complaint with the evaluation commission charged with deciding which companies will build five hospitals in Panama’s interior.

Manuel Batista, the company’s legal representative, explained that the claim was submitted yesterday because the commission did not validate the consortium’s 2009 financial statements since they were in Korean.

The Ministry of Health’s reference price is $386 million, and Samsung has bid more than $389 million.  The other participating companies are Senisa, OHL Arellano, Consorcio HPP, FCC Constructores and IBT Health.  The proposed complexes will be built in the provinces of Darien, Chiriqui, Los Santos, Veraguas and Colon.

IBT and FCC are the evaluation committee favorites.