Kyushu Bureau bids for Kawabegawa Dam phase 1 concrete pouring

The Kyushu Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (Expenditure Burdening Officer: Director General of the Kyushu Regional Development Bureau, Hiroyuki Morishita) announced in the Official Gazette dated November 2, 2026, that the Kawabegawa Dam Construction (Phase 1) Work (subject to electronic bidding and electronic contracting) will be put out to general competitive bidding. On the same date, the Bureau also posted the “Public Notice Regarding Qualifications for Competitive Participants,” clarifying the requirements for receiving the order for this work as a Specified Construction Joint Venture. The construction site is located on the right and left banks of Oaza Yonoura, Sagara Village, Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture, and the deadline for receiving bid documents is 12:00 PM on February 16, 2027.

The announcement is classified under item category number 41 (Construction Work). Within the range of the estimated price limit based on Article 79 of the Budget, Settlement of Accounts and Accounting Order, a comprehensive evaluation bidding system (Technical Proposal Evaluation Type S) will be adopted, where the party with the highest evaluation value will be the successful bidder. This is a trial project for the Construction System Confirmation Type Comprehensive Evaluation Bidding System. It includes provisions for additional points for companies implementing wage increases or promoting work-life balance, the post-contract VE method, the dedicated assistant system, supervision operations utilizing ISO 9001 certification, the construction package-type estimation method, and a trial of the total price contract unit price agreement method. The placement of a special managing engineer subject to the proviso of Article 26, Paragraph 3 of the Construction Business Act is not permitted. There will be no negotiations in the procedure, and the preparation of a contract is required. It was also indicated that there are plans to conclude other contracts directly related to this work through discretionary contracts.

2.2 million cubic meters of foundation excavation on both banks of Sagara Village, construction period until the end of March 2031

The scale of the work indicated in the announcement is as follows:

• Foundation excavation: Approx. 2,200 thousand cubic meters (Total: Approx. 2,200 thousand cubic meters)
• Concrete placement: Approx. 27 thousand cubic meters (Total: Approx. 770 thousand cubic meters)
• Consolidation grouting: Approx. 150 meters (Total: Approx. 2,200 meters)
• Curtain grouting: Approx. 3,800 meters (Total: Approx. 22,000 meters)
• Major materials and equipment: Moderate heat cement + fly ash approx. 2 thousand tons, cement approx. 5 thousand tons, ready-mixed concrete approx. 15 thousand cubic meters, reinforcing bars approx. 1 thousand tons
• Construction period: From the start of construction until March 31, 2031 (Construction must commence by the start deadline of May 10, 2027)
• This is a project with a buffer period, and the contractor may arbitrarily set the start date of construction within the period up to the start deadline

Representative required to have a track record of concrete dam body placement with a dam height of 70 meters or more

The qualification notice requires the composition to be a combination of 2 or 3 companies, meeting the following criteria as of December 2, 2026.

• All members must have a track record of performing similar construction work as a prime contractor completed in or after FY2011.
• The representative member must have a track record of concrete dam body placement for dams with a height of 70 meters or more.
• Members other than the representative must have a track record of concrete dam body placement.
• “Similar construction work” shall include concrete dam construction or dam redevelopment projects for facilities defined under the River Act; partial repair work that does not involve body placement, such as crack repair, is excluded.
• Must be certified for general competitive bidding participation for general civil engineering works by the Kyushu Regional Development Bureau.
• Must have been operating for 5 years or more with a license for civil engineering work under the Construction Business Act.
• Must be able to assign a full-time Managing Engineer or a Chief Engineer holding a national qualification.
• The investment ratio for all members must be 6/10 or more of an equal split, and the representative member must possess the greatest construction capacity and the highest investment ratio.
• Must not be subject to suspension of nomination or similar measures; records with a construction performance evaluation score of less than 65 points will not be accepted.

The name of the joint venture shall be “Kawabegawa Dam Construction (Phase 1) Work [Name] · [Name] Special Construction Joint Venture,” and the agreement shall apply mutatis mutandis the attachment of Ministry of Construction Keishin No. 69 dated November 1, 1978. The qualification period is from the date of certification until the date of construction completion.

Deadline for electronic bidding is February 16, with bid opening on February 19

The schedule and submission destination shown in the attached table are as follows:

• Delivery of bid explanation documents: From November 2, 2026, to February 16, 2027 (8:30 to 18:00, excluding weekends and holidays)
• Submission of application forms and materials: From November 2, 2026, to December 2, 2026 (until 12:00 on the final day)
• Documents related to payment of bid bonds, etc.: From January 12, 2027, to February 16, 2027
• Deadline for bid forms and materials regarding qualifications of planned assigned engineers: February 16, 2027, 12:00
• Bid opening: February 19, 2027, 10:00
• Submission destination: Kyushu Regional Development Bureau, General Affairs Department, Contract Division (2-10-7 Hakataeki-higashi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, Tel: 092-476-3509)
• Bidding shall be conducted via the electronic bidding system; paper bids require the submission of a request for approval.

The public notice states that individuals who have not received certification for general competitive bidding participation may still submit an application, but to participate in the competition, they must have received certification and confirmation of competition participation qualifications by the time of the bid opening. Bids from persons who do not possess the qualifications indicated in the bid notice or bids containing false statements shall be invalid.

The first phase of civil engineering works for the main body casting of the Kawabegawa Dam is to be tendered with a requirement that the representative member of the joint venture possesses a track record of constructing dams with a height of approximately 70 meters. Consequently, the way major and semi-major civil engineering firms within Kyushu form their joint ventures will determine the outcome of the upcoming bidding competition. The deadline for submitting applications is December 2, 2026, and the focus for regional construction companies will be their response leading up to the bid opening in approximately four months.

Sources

• Official Gazette (November 2, 2026, Extra Edition Government Procurement) Tender Notice (Construction Works) “Kawabegawa Dam Construction (Phase 1) Works (Subject to Electronic Bidding and Electronic Contract)” Expenditure Authorized Officer: Director General of Kyushu Regional Development Bureau, Hiroyuki Morishita (Procurement Agency No. 020, Location No. 40)
• Official Gazette (November 2, 2026) Public Notice Regarding Qualifications for Competitive Participants “Kawabegawa Dam Construction (Phase 1) Works” Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Kyushu Regional Development Bureau
• Reference Notice: Public Notice dated March 31, 2026, by the Director of the Accounting Division, Minister’s Secretariat, and the Director of the Management Division, Government Buildings Department, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
• Legal Basis, etc.: Article 79 of the Budget, Settlement of Accounts and Accounting Order; Construction Business Act (Act No. 100 of 1949); Act on Recycling of Materials used in Construction Work (Act No. 104 of 2000)