DOTC OKs license plate project to 2 joint venture groups

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Transportation and Communications and the Land Transportation Office have shortlisted two joint venture groups to undertake the license plates supply project. 

After opening the bids for the project during the two-day marathon session of the bids and awards committee, the two government agencies have qualified the joint venture of the Netherlands’ J. Knieriem B.V. Goes or ‘JKG,’ and local company Power Plates Development Concepts, Inc.; and the joint venture of Spain’s Industrias Samart and local company Datatrail Corp.

The DOTC-LTO officials said that as the only eligible bidders, the two joint ventures' financial proposals showed that the JKG-Power Plates group made the lowest offers for both Lot 1 or the motor vehicle license plates and Lot 2 or the motorcycle license plates. 

For Lot 1, JKG-Power Plates proposed to supply the MV plates for a total of P 1.98 billion, while Industrias Samart-Datatrail offered it at P2.03 billion.  The ceiling price for Lot 1 bid was fixed at P2.356 billion.

On the other hand, for Lot 2, JKG-Power Plates proposed to supply the MC plates for a total of P 1.196 billion, while Industrias Samart-Datatrail offered P1.275 billion. The maximum bid allowed for Lot 2 was P1.495 billion.

"Based on those results, we will declare the lowest calculated bidder, who will then undergo post-qualification," the DOTC said. 

Meanwhile, the DOTC-LTO disqualified six joint venture groups-RNA Holdings, Inc. (Philippines) and Utal Sp. Z o.o (Poland), Kolonwel Trading (Philippines) and Shanghai Fa Yu Industrial Co., Ltd. (China), Utsch-Fereira (Phils.) Corporation (Philippines) and Utsch A.G. (Germany), Uniforbes, Inc. (Philippines) and EHA Hoffman International Gmbh (Germany), DVK Philippines Enterprises (Philippines) and Jinjiang Hesheng Light (China), and Proact Philippines, Inc. (Philippines).

In a related development, the LTO has blacklisted motorcycle plates embosser GJB Enterprises, Inc. from all government bids for a one year for its failure to deliver on its obligations to the government.

LTO chief Virginia Torres said that under the implementing rules of Republic Act 9184 and its Uniform Guidelines for Blacklisting, "failure by a contractor to fully and faithfully comply with its contractual obligations without valid cause calls for the imposition of administrative penalty of suspension for one year from participating in the public bidding process."

In a decision of the LTO-BAC,  GJB Enterprises failed to answer a March 10, 2013 show-cause order which required it to explain its failure to deliver aluminum sheeting materials to the LTO, in violation of its 2011 contractual obligations.