Proposals sought for Marpi property

The Department of Public Lands is soliciting bids to operate the former Mariana Resort and Spa.

DPL has opened up bids for a notice of intent to solicit award for a temporary operating agreement of the Mariana Resort facility. The TOA for the Marpi property includes a hotel, villas, go-kart race track, and an 18-hole golf course.

The administration, through DPL, is soliciting for sealed proposals from firms or anybody that would be interested in temporarily managing and operating the facility. The deadline for submission is on April 12, Friday, at 10am.

Notice of intent packages—instruction and information packets—are now available and can be picked up at the DPL office from 7:30am to 4:30pm, from Mondays to Fridays. DPL will be charging 0.50 cents per page if a hard copy is requested.

The NOI packet can also be downloaded at the DPL website, www.dpl.gov.mp, or can be sent through email to those that would be interested, at no extra cost.

Interested firms that have questions about the more than 50,000-square-meter property can contact DPL.

The contents of the NOI packet must be received by DPL no later than 4:30pm (ChST) on April 8, Monday.

Questions and the NOI packet can be submitted in writing via snail mail, email, or facsimile and must be addressed to acting DPL secretary Marianne Concepcion-Teregeyo at the DPL mailing box at P.O. Box 500380 Saipan, MP 96950 with telephone numbers (670) 234375 to 53 or fax (670) 2343755 and email mariannet@spl.gov.mp.

DPL, which may accept or reject proposals, will summarize its response to the questions and will share it to all those that would submit proposals in a question-and-answer format.

Kan Pacific Saipan Ltd., owned by the Kitami family, used to lease and operate the facilities of the Marpi property that also included a 50-meter swimming pool and baseball field. Mariana Resort and Spa shut down last year after 40 years of operation.

The lease on the property was up for renewal but Kan Pacific did not submit a proposal to renew their lease. DPL put out a request for proposal and closed it in 2016. Only Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC submitted a bid and DPL issued a notice of intent to award.

The NOI had a couple of things that were listed that IPI needed to satisfy but negotiations broke down between them and DPL. During those negotiations, DPL had issued extensions to Kan Pacific after their lease expired that ended on Sept. 30 last year.