Commission on Elections headquarters at Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila (PNA file photo)
MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday said the motion for reconsideration (MR) filed by one of the eligible bidders for the online voting and counting system (OVCS) is delaying the conclusion of the bidding for the project worth PHP465.8 million.
In a phone interview, Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said the joint venture (JV) of Voatz Inc., ePLDT Inc. and eBizolution, Inc. filed an MR before the Special Bids and Awards Committee (SBAC) last week.
The JV led by Voatz was declared as having the second lowest calculated bid (LCB) after submitting a bid of PHP435.5 million.
"It will slightly push back our preparations since the customization will require a synced OVCS, Full Automation System with Transparency Audit and Count (FASTrAC), and Secure Electronic Transmission Services (SETS). We thought we would complete all the awarding before the end of May," the poll body chief added.
The SBAC declared the JV of SMS Global Technologies, Inc. and Sequent Tech Inc. as having the LCB with a bid offer of PHP112 million for the OVCS project.
Last March, the JV of Miru Systems Co Ltd., Integrated Computer Systems, St. Timothy Construction Corporation, and Centerpoint Solutions Technologies, Inc. (MIRU-ICS-STCC-CPSTI) was awarded the FASTrAC project.
The PHP18.8-billion project is an upgraded optical mark reader paper-based automated elections system with direct recording electronic capabilities for the next national polls.
On the other hand, the joint venture of iOne Resources, Inc. and Ardent Networks Inc. won the SETS project back in April.
The SETS will be used to transmit election results using telecommunication networks. (PNA)
