Bidding fails for ultraviolet lamp deal

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is re-bidding the P30-million supply contract for the ultraviolet (UV) lamps after all bidders failed to comply with bidding requirements.

The Comelec is purchasing 80,000 portable UV lamps after the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines failed to read the ultraviolet security marks on the official ballots.

“All the bidders were unable to comply with the requirement to submit a delivery schedule so we will have to conduct a very quick re-bidding for the UV lamps,” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said.

He said the Comelec will order the new bidding for the UV lamps after receiving the recommendation of the Bidding and Awards Committee (BAC).

The Comelec, however, is not re-bidding the supply contract for the indelible ink anymore.

“There is no need to re-bid the indelible ink project since there is no sufficient time to do it and the one supplier left in the previous bidding will provide the ink,” Jimenez said.

The BAC earlier declared a failure of bidding for the indelible ink contract because one of the four solvent-contents of the ink supplied by winning bidder Texas Resources Corp. failed the laboratory test.

The Comelec said the other day that there is still enough time to conduct a new bidding for the indelible ink. Jimenez said yesterday, however, that the ink supplied by Texas Resources Corp. can now be used.

“Indelible ink contains four kinds of solvents and three of the solvents passed the test. One initially failed, but when they shook the bottle containing the ink and the chemicals settled, it also passed the test,” Jimenez said.

Indelible ink will be used to mark the index fingers of voters, for easy detection of flying voters.

Last Monday, the Comelec also cancelled the P690-million negotiated contract for the procurement of 1.8 million ballot secrecy folders at P380 apiece.

Comelec Chairman Jose Melo said they would just use ordinary folders.

The Comelec formed a special team headed by legal department chief Ferdinand Rafanan to investigate the botched contract.

The BAC submitted to Rafanan yesterday all the documents supporting the negotiated contract.

Comelec sources said all the members of the BAC had verbally asked the Commission to remove them from their posts because their term had already expired last March 31.

But the Commission, according to the sources, opted to extend their term until their replacements have been appointed.

Jimenez said the Comelec is yet to receive the official resignation papers of the BAC members.