Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 14) — The Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) Special Bids and Awards Committee (SBAC) on Thursday declared the lone bidder for the 2025 automated election system “ineligible,” resulting in the first failure of bidding.
In a resolution, the SBAC tagged the joint venture led by South Korean company Miru Systems Co. Ltd. as “ineligible” for failing to comply fully with the legal requirements to bid.
The SBAC said supporting documents of the bid proposal lacked English translation in the Statement of Single Largest Completed Contract and that it had an incomplete undertaking to enter into a joint venture.
The panel said the joint venture agreement of Miru Systems with local firms Integrated Computer Systems, St. Timothy Construction Corporation, and Centerpoint Solutions Technologies, Inc. specified “jointly” only instead of “jointly and severally” liable as required by law.
Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco told reporters the firm can still participate in the second round of bidding after deficiencies and defects are “cured.”
The second cycle of the process is eyed by the first week of January 2024, Laudiangco said.
“Time is of the essence po kaya tinapos na din po kanina ang mandatory review,” he said.
[Translation: Time is of the essence, that’s why we finished the mandatory review a while ago.]
He also said the poll body would be issuing new terms of reference for its full automation system with transparency audit/count project.
According to Comelec’s invitation to bid in October, the approved budget for the lease of counting machines and other election-related materials to be used in the fully automated 2025 midterm polls is around ₱18 billion.
Laudiangco said Pivot International and Smartmatic bought bidding documents for the contract, but only Miru Systems submitted a bid proposal on Thursday morning.
The Comelec en banc has ruled to disqualify Smartmatic from participating in all public bidding projects related to the polls.
The longtime voting tech firm is seeking a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Supreme Court to stop the poll body from implementing its decision.
Laudiangco said the Comelec and SBAC has not received any TRO or injunction from the high court.
When asked about the possibility of Smartmatic getting a TRO, Laudiangco answered: “Titingnan namin ano ang tenor ng TRO. Susunod ang Comelec sa pinag-uutos ng Korte Suprema.”
[Translation: We will check the tenor of the TRO. The Comelec will follow the Supreme Court’s order.]
