PNP bid panel: Supplier's gun failed torture test

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine National Police (PNP) bids and awards committee (BAC) is prepared to object to the participation of a gun dealer in the P296-million firearms contract bidding after the dealer’s product failed the 20,000-round “torture test,” an official said yesterday.

Deputy Director General Benjamin Belarmino, PNP bid panel chairman, said the Arms Corporation of the Philippines (Armscor), representing Fratelli Tanfoglio of Italy, should not be allowed to bid to supply the PNP with 12,368 .9mm pistols.

 “Upon reaching the 15,646 mark (13 rounds), the sample pistol (of Tanfoglio Force 99) encountered a malfunction, wherein its trigger failed to reset...(The members of the technical working group noticed) that the pin from the trigger-sear assembly was visibly broken and split into several pieces,” said Belarmino, quoting the Dec. 27, 2011 report of the technical working group.

Belarmino, concurrent PNP deputy chief for administration, said that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) informed the PNP last November that the police force could proceed with the bidding for the procurement of P296 million worth of firearms as part of the PNP’s capability enhancement program for 2011.

 “This is the biggest single contract for a single item. This is the first big contract dealing with the purchase of pistols with a different specification. From all steel to polymer, which is anti-corrosive for the grip, but the guns’ barrel and other parts will still be full steel,” he said.

Belarmino said Armscor initially won the bidding for having the lowest calculated bid with only P16,868.73 for each unit. As part of the post-qualification process, the Armscor firearm model was immediately subjected to a “torture test” to check its durability. The model failed the test.

The BAC chair said the second lowest bidder was Armaments Unlimited Inc., supplying the Beretta PX4 Storm pistol at P18,200 per piece; followed by Trust Trade with the Glock 17 pistol worth P18,900 each.

Israeli Weapons Industries and their local partner Espinelli Trading came in with the highest bid of P22,680 for each Jericho 941 pistol. The fifth bidder, supplying the CZ brand of firearms, was disqualified for failing to meet documentary requirements.

Belarmino said the PNP-BAC was supposed to test the second lowest bidder but decided to employ other methods of procurement, considering the date – Dec. 27, 2011 – which was three days before the cutoff for any government procurement for 2011. The cutoff meant the PNP would have to return the P296 million to the national treasury.

He said they used the agency procurement request or APR to save the “allotted funds and ensure the procurement.”

Belarmino said he will ask the DBM to allow the PNP bid panel to continue testing the firearm samples supplied by the other bidders.

“The process would also eliminate suspicions of the other bidders that the government or the PNP is favoring certain suppliers,” he pointed out. “They might say that since a supplier failed, the torture test was stopped, giving the impression that we are trying to accommodate certain suppliers.”

Armscor, reacting to the PNP bid panel’s position, maintained that the Tanfoglio pistol has shown its reliability and serviceability under extreme testing conditions.

“In reality, a policeman will not fire 20,000 rounds over the lifetime of his gun. Also, springs and other small parts are changed periodically. Even well known brands have to change their springs every 3,000 rounds. The other competitors have not yet been tested for the 20,000-round endurance test, so there still is a possibility that none of the other pistols could pass the 20,000 round requirements,” its statement read.

Armscor noted that their scorecard reflected three major defects from the three stoppages and 12 minor defects, which is still a long way from being declared “gun failure” or “fatal failure.”