The new locks are part of a plan to double the canal's capacity. Pictured here are Miraflores Locks in Panama City. Photo by Trevor Williams.

Panama Canal Authority building. Photo by Trevor Williams.

Georgia companies seeking contracts to help build the third set of locks for the Panama Canal should pitch their goods and services to each of the groups already vying for the megaproject, according to Nicholas Kuchova, senior commercial officer at the U.S. embassy in Panama City, Panama.

Before moving recently to Panama, Mr. Kuchova represented the U.S. Commerce Department in Savannah where he followed the 2006 referendum in Panama concerning the expansion of the canal.

When Panama's voters approved plans to double the canal's capacity, he knew that the completion of the project would bring a significant increase in business to Georgia's ports of Savannah and Brunswick, since they would be frequent destinations for the larger cargo vessels passing through it.

The bidding process for construction operations on the canal expansion has begun, and Mr. Kuchova alerted GlobalAtlanta last week that only one of four competing groups would be chosen to supervise the project.

He advised that companies seriously interested in being involved should send their bids to all four so that they would benefit no matter which group was chosen. A wide range of services will be needed, including engineering and logistical services.

“The overall canal expansion is estimated at $5.2 billion and the new locks are estimated to be around 60 percent of the entire project,” Mr. Kuchova said. “The logistical challenges will be immense in seeing that the right materials as well as people are at the right place at the right time, and all this gets complicated by a 9-month rainy season.”

The competitors for the project are Consorcio Atlantico Pacifico de Panama, led by Bouygues Travaux Publics of Guayancourt, France; Bechtel, Taisei, Mitsubishi Corp. led the London office of Bechtel; C.A.N.A.L led by ACS Servicios, Comunicaciones y Energia S.L. of Madrid, Spain, and Grupo Unidos Por El Canal led by the Milan, Italy, office of Sacyr Vallehermoso S.A.

Mr. Kuchova said that the Canal Authority is scheduled to announce its choice in December, but that there may be a delay of two to three months. The completion date is projected to be 2014 in order to coincide with the centennial of the canal.

“In the meantime, the real action will involve what interested U.S. suppliers of goods and services do to pitch their goods and services to each of the consortia,” he said. “The action should start almost immediately.”

In addition, he said, “It is my unofficial opinion that the U.S. suppliers will have significant opportunities regardless who wins the tender. There is tremendous pressure on the Canal Authority to get this right.”

Mr. Kuchova is to attend the Second Americas Competitiveness Forum in mid-August, which is expected to bring to Atlanta more than 1,000 government officials and private sector leaders from the 34 democracies of the Western Hemisphere.