Comelec sets timeline for bidding of P55-M AES review contract

THe commission on elections has set the bidding for it sp 55- million contract for the certification of the Automated Election System (AES) to be used in the 2022 National and Local Election to next month.

On Thursday (June 24), Comelec's Special Bids and Awards Committee (SBAC) started the sale and issuance of bidding documents, worth P50,000, for the said contract to preselected international certification entity (ICE).

Among the bidders identified by the poll body are PRO V& V; SLI Compliance; and TUV Rheinland Philippines Inc.

To recall, PRO V& V won the contract to review the A ES used in the 2019 elections.

In a bidding advisory, SBAC Chairman Allen Francis Abaya said the process will be conducted through a Limited Source Bidding (LSB), which makes use of a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion.

To qualify for the LSB, the ICE should have completed, within the past six years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract on the certification of a public automated election system.

The government makes use of an LSB for “specialized types of goods and consulting services, where only a few suppliers or consultants are known to be available.”

Comelec scheduled a prebid video conferencing for the AES review contract on July 7, 2021, 10 am, through Microsoft Teams.

The deadline for the submission of bids is on 8 am of July 19, 2021, which will also be the date for the opening of the online bids—also held through Microsoft Teams.

Abaya noted that Comelec has the right to reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award.

He said bids received by Comelec in excess of the P55-million approved budget for the contract for the project will be automatically rejected during the bid opening.