The two losing bidders for Honolulu’s rail car contract filed separate protests today challenging the city’s contract award.

Sumitomo Corp. of America and Bombardier Transportation filed the protests.

Last month the city announced its intent to award the contract to Italy-based Ansaldo Honolulu, which proposed a contract valued at about $1.4 billion, including $574 million to design and build the rail cars.

Gino Antoniello, Sumitomo’s vice president of transportation systems and equipment, has argued that his company scored higher than Ansaldo in many other aspects of the project. His company’s proposed price was about $1.45 billion.

“Our concerns have only intensified following our debriefing meeting with the city last Monday, and as we thoroughly reviewed the documents that were made available to us,”?Antoniello said in a statement this morning.

“The failure of the city to recognize and properly take into account the cost of the project over its total life cycle will leave the Honolulu taxpayers with the burden of paying as much as $900 million more to operate and maintain the system,” the statement said.

Details of Bombardier’s protest were not immediately available.

City officials have said the procurement process was followed according to state law to pick the best valued contract.