Comelec opens bidding for additional voting machines

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is set to start the second stage of public bidding for the additional automated voting machines that will be used in 2016 amid the controversial awarding of a P268.8-million contract to Smartmatic-Total Information Management Corp.

The Comelec’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) said eligible bidders for the optical mark reader (OMR) and direct recording electronic (DRE) projects must submit their price proposals on Feb. 25 at 9 a.m.

Smartmatic and Indra Sistemas S.A. were declared as eligible bidders for the lease contract for the OMR machines during the initial stage of public bidding late last year.

Smartmatic was the lone eligible bidder for the DRE project.

The Comelec had signed a P268.8-million deal with Smartmatic for the refurbishment of the 82,000 precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines to be used in the 2016 national elections.

Under the plan, the poll body will use the old PCOS machines in the provinces. Some 23,000 OMR machines will be used in Metro Manila.