Foreign, local firms to bid for automated poll system

MANILA, Philippines - More foreign and local system providers are expected to join the public bidding for the automated election system (AES) to be used in the 2016 elections.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesman James Jimenez said they expect a “competitive” public bidding.

“It will be a very interesting bidding in the sense that we expect to see a wide range of solutions, all revolving around the two technologies we want to procure, which are the OMR (optical mark reader) and the DRE (direct recording electronic),” he said.

OMR and DRE will be used to supplement the existing precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines, he added.

Jimenez said a number of foreign and local providers have already expressed their intention to join the bidding.

“Definitely, there will be more than two (companies),” he said. “Also, people have been coming to us to show their wares and we have been very open in hearing their presentations.”

Jimenez said the Comelec plans to give every interested party the opportunity to participate in the public bidding in order to provide the commission with the best possible AES.

“The whole idea of a public bidding is to give the procuring agency the widest possible range of choices,” he said. “And the reason we are starting this early is to give everyone a chance to participate.” 

Jimenez said the Comelec sees no reason to disallow Smartmatic from joining the bidding process.

“There really remains no viable reason to blacklist anyone. So we will not do that,” Jimenez said amid calls for the blacklisting of Smartmatic.

Jimenez said critics of Smartmatic should file a formal petition before the Comelec if they want to stop the company from joining the bidding.

“If they really want someone blacklisted, they should ask for it,” he said.

“I am sure the Comelec will not ignore such a motion (if done) using the proper channels, proper forum. Not that I am inviting them, but it does not serve anyone to just make noises.”

The Comelec published yesterday the invitations to bid for the OMR and DRE technologies.

It included the Terms of Reference, which will detail the project specifications, and the expected procurement timetable.

About 40,000 units of the secondary OMR technology are being eyed to supplement the 80,000 PCOS units that the Comelec already owns.

The 200 DRE machines are being eyed for use in the next electoral exercise and shall be tested in highly urbanized areas.