Comelec disqualifies 2 more bidders for P11-billion automation contract

MANILA, Philippines - Two firms were barred yesterday from bidding for the P11.3-billion contract to automate next year’s elections.

The Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) special bids and awards committee (SBAC) found ineligible the consortium of Indra Sistemas of Spain, Strategic Alliance Holdings Inc. of the Philippines and Hart Intercivic of the United States; and the consortium of Universal Storefront Services of Philippines and Sequoia Voting Systems of United States for failing to meet the bid’s documentary requirements.

Four firms remain eligible to bid for the automation contract.

Lawyer Ferdinand Rafanan, SBAC chairman and Comelec Law Department director, said Indra had failed to submit a certificate from the International Organization for Standardization.

SBAC Resolution No. 002 shows that Hart Intercivic, the consortium’s provider of precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines, had failed to submit the ISO certification or its equivalent contrary to Bid Bulletin No. 4, dated April 4, 2009.

The ISO 9000 certificate should be submitted by the provider of component IB PCO, according to the resolution.

The resolution states that ISO certification submitted was that of Integrated Microelectronics Inc.

However, this cannot be admitted since the latter is not part of Indra Electronics consortium.

SBAC does not allow sub-contracting of the PCOS machines that would be used in next year’s elections.              

Universal and Sequoia were disqualified for failing to present a license to import.

Five other consortiums initially submitted bid offers that SBAC began opening last Monday.

These are the consortiums of Avante International of the United States, Canon Marketing Philippines of Japan and Netnode Technologies, DB Vizards and Creative Points of the Philippines; Total Information Management Co. of Philippines and Smartmatic of the Netherlands; Amalgated Metro Philippines and Syrex Inc., both of Philippines and Anishin Inc. of Taiwan; AMA Group of Companies of Philippines and Election System and Software of USA; and Gilat of Israel and F.F. Cruz and Co. Inc. of Philippines.

SBAC had disqualified Avante’s group last Monday for failing to submit the last two pages of its proposed contract and its certificate of acceptance. 

Rafanan said the rejected consortiums have three days to file their motions for reconsideration.

SBAC would have to rule on these motions in seven days, he added.

SBAC is hoping to finish opening the bid offers by today.              

Rafanan dismissed fears of a bid failure.

Escudero doubts Comelec capability

Sen. Francis Escudero doubted yesterday the capability of Comelec to implement electoral automation next year.

“How can one subscribe and attest correctness to a financial statement while it did not undergo proper audit?” he said.

Escudero wanted to know why the Comelec bent the rules and allowed three US companies to submit unaudited financial statements in bidding for the P11.3-billion electoral automation contract.

“This is the third time that the Comelec has trifled with its rules,” he said.

“First they changed the terms of reference, and then they moved the date of bidding. It alarmingly continues with its ad hoc ways.

“It may be likened to the boy who cried wolf. But there is now more reason to doubt the Comelec’s capability to implement the full automation of the electoral process in 2010. I’d rather be proven wrong than right.”

Escudero, congressional oversight committee on poll automation chairman, identified the US firms as Hart Intercivic USA, Sequoia Voting Systems (SVS) and Elections Systems & Software (ES&S) which failed to submit income tax returns for 2008.

“The excuse was that it is normal for American companies to ask for an automatic extension from the US government and that’s why they asked for special consideration,” he said.

Ensure transparency, observers told

Sen. Richard Gordon called on official observers to ensure transparency of the public bidding for the automation contract for next year’s elections.

“At first glance, the Comelec’s bidding process appears to be transparent and organized,” he said.

“The official observers are given copies of the documents submitted, which can be seen through a projector by members of the media and other stakeholders observing the proceedings.

“However, the Comelec has yet to choose the winning bidder. And until it does, we must not let our guard down if we want to ensure that the automation pushes through successfully and the preparations proceed according to the poll body’s timetable.”

The official observers are the Commission on Audit, Department of Science and Technology, Office of the Ombudsman, United States embassy, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, Consortium on Electoral Reforms, Procurement Watch, Inc. and the Transparency and Accountability Network. – With Christina Mendez