Group hits delay in BOC ‘single window’ project

MANILA, Philippines - The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) questioned yesterday the delay and alleged anomalies in the bidding process for the second phase of the P442.3-million National Single Window (NSW) project of the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

VACC founding chair Dante Jimenez said yesterday he suspects “old hands” in the bureau could be perpetrating alleged irregularities in the project.

The BOC earlier said it hopes to complete the NSW project this year to comply with the country’s commitment to become part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Single Window by 2015.

The ASEAN Single Window is an initiative among ASEAN member countries to establish electronic windows that would facilitate international trade and investment through fast clearance by the BOC.

He said he plans to file charges against BOC officials should they continue to refuse to grant his request for copies of pertinent documents in connection with the project.

Jimenez said among the alleged irregularities in the NSW’s second phase is that the period between the posting of the invitation to bid up to the end of the evaluation of technical proposals has already exceeded the limit of 90 days set by Republic Act 9184, the government procurement reform law.

The invitation to bid was posted on Nov. 20, 2012 while the technical proposals for the project’s second phase were opened on Jan. 21.

He also said that a bid committee member, Jonathan Soriano, was reportedly seen with two officials of a company bidding for the project despite rules forbidding direct contact between bid panel members and prospective bidders.

Jimenez also warned the BOC against entertaining foreign firms without Filipino partners as bidders.

He alleged that in a previous bidding for the project, the eligibility requirement was changed to allow foreign firms to bid by themselves without a local partner, which is against the law. This was changed back to the original for the Nov. 20, 2012 rebidding of the project.