DND opens bid for helicopters to be used in May polls

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of National Defense (DND) will conduct another bidding for the acquisition of 21 helicopters to be used for the midterm elections in May.

A bid bulletin signed by Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo said the opening of bids for 21 refurbished UH-1 helicopters would be held on Jan. 31 in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

The government has allotted P1.26 billion for the helicopters, which will be used to meet the higher demand for airlift requirements during the May elections.

DND said the amount would cover both the helicopter units and the integrated logistics support package.

DND wants the helicopters delivered on or before March 31.

Bidders should have completed within five years from the submission of bids a contract similar to the project.

“The guiding principles for this project shall be based on affordability and sustainability while conforming to the requirements of our Air Force,” the DND bid bulletin read.

The bidding is open to both foreign and local bidders and will be conducted in accordance with the procurement law.

DND said interested parties may buy bidding documents worth P75,000 from its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Secretariat.

A pre-bid conference will be held on Jan. 18 at the DND office to provide prospective bidders more information about the project.

The bids must be delivered to the DND-BAC office in Camp Aguinaldo before 2 p.m. on Jan. 31.

Offers that are higher than the prescribed budget for the project will be rejected.

The UH-1 or Huey is the primary helicopter of the Air Force. The Air Force made the request for additional Hueys in 2011.

The Air Force previously recommended that the helicopters be delivered by Feb. 28 to meet the airlift requirements during the elections.

The DND originally sought to acquire the 21 helicopters through negotiated procurement under emergency cases.

The defense department had asked the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) to allow it to tap negotiated procurement under emergency in buying the helicopters, citing the “large capability gap” in the military’s inventory.

The Air Force only has 16 mission-capable Hueys, 51 units short of the ideal number of operational combat utility helicopters.

The GPPB, however, said the acquisition should be done through public bidding, which, security officials said, will involve a longer process.