4 firms interested to bid for P276-million Navy craft

MANILA, Philippines - Four firms have expressed interest in bidding for the P276- million contract to provide the Navy with three multi-purpose attack craft, documents from the Department of National Defense (DND) showed.

The companies which bought bidding documents from DND’s Bids and Awards Committee are Prop-Mech Corp., Tactical Exchange & Security Solutions Inc., R & L Shipyard, and Geneve S.A. Phil Inc.

The opening of the bids for the project would be held today at the DND Office in Camp Aguinaldo. It’s not clear, however, if the firms would actually submit offers.

“After the acceptance of the bids, we will evaluate them. We will evaluate their (bidders) eligibility and their documents. We will be looking at their technical proposals whether they can comply with the specifications provided for by the Navy,” DND Assistant Secretary Ernesto Boac told The STAR.

“We will check on the financial tenders and we will determine whether these would comply with the approved budget,” he added.

Boac, who heads the DND-BAC, said the multi-purpose attack craft would enhance the Navy’s attack and rescue capabilities.

“It (acquisition) will result in an increased capability not only for combat but also for rescue (operations). It can also support national development,” he said.

“Perhaps we can evaluate the bid price on same day although that is during the opening of bids. But we are normally given seven days to evaluate financial bids,” he said.

“We will also have a post-qualification process to validate the eligibility documents and of course determine whether they are capable of undertaking the project,” he added.

Boac gave assurances that the bidding process would be transparent and in accordance with procurement rules.

“This is a very transparent process. We will have observers to ensure that,” he said.