LAWMAKER TRYING TO INFLUENCE BIDDING PROCESS, SAYS DBM

The Department of Budget and Management’s Procurement Service (PS-DBM) on Thursday said the looming House probe on the alleged “questionable” procurement of laptops for public school teachers would disrupt what had been a legal and aboveboard ongoing bidding process.

“As much as the PS-DBM would like to comment and address the allegations, we are, however, prohibited from divulging information regarding the evaluation of the bids until the issuance of the notice of award as provided under Section 32.1 of the revised implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 9184” or the Government Procurement Reform Act, it said in a statement.

It was referring to Bagong Henerasyon Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy’s call to investigate the Department of Education’s (DepEd) ongoing procurement of 39,000 laptops for public school teachers through PS-DBM.

“The bidding process is ongoing and no contract has been awarded. Thus, Rep. Herrera-Dy’s call for a Congress probe is not only premature but grossly unfair,” PS-DBM said.

“By prejudging the bidder selection process, she is, in fact, trying to influence the final outcome of the PS-DBM’s procurement decision,” it added.

Herrera-Dy earlier said she received information “that the contract [had] practically [been] secured by the second lowest bidder at almost P2.3 billion, which is P167 million higher than the bid of the lowest bidder.” This, she claimed, was in violation of RA 9184.

But according to the PSDBM, “government projects are not automatically awarded to the bidder with the lowest bid but to bidders with the lowest calculated responsive bid (LCRB). The LCRB is defined by law as the lowest bid from a technically, legally and financially capable supplier that is compliant with all the technical specifications as required and stated on the bidding documents.”

“On the issue of the lowest bidder’s disqualification as pointed out by Representative Herrera-Dy, should a bidder be disqualified with the decision of the bids and awards committee, a proper forum on remedy is provided under Sections 5558 of the same IRR,” it said.