Book 4, Title 0, Sec. 62As a general rule, contracts for infrastructure projects shall be awarded after open public bidding to bidders who su

Public Bidding of Contracts; Exceptions. - As a general rule, contracts for infrastructure projects shall be awarded after open public bidding to bidders who submit the lowest responsive/evaluated bids. Open Public Bidding shall be conducted among prequalified contractors in accordance with laws, rules and regulations not inconsistent with the provisions of this Chapter. The award of such contracts through negotiations shall only be allowed by the Secretary or Governing Board of the Corporation concerned within the limits as stated in Section 57 hereof in the following cases:

a. In times of emergencies arising from natural calamities where immediate action is necessary to prevent imminent loss of life or property, in which case, direct negotiation or simplified bidding may be undertaken;

b. Failure to award the contract after competitive public bidding for valid cause or causes, in which case, simplified bidding may be undertaken; and

c. Where the construction project covered by the contract is adjacent or contiguous to an on-going project and it could be economically prosecuted by the same contractor, in which case, direct negotiation may be undertaken with the said contractor at the same unit prices and contract conditions, less mobilization costs, provided that he has no negative slippage and has demonstrated a satisfactory performance. Otherwise, the contract shall be awarded through public bidding.