THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) will not allow its deployment and warehousing contract for the May 2025 national, local, and Bangsamoro parliamentary polls to have any political color, poll body spokesman John Rex Laudiangco said yesterday,

In an interview, Laudiangco said they will only allow politically neutral service providers for the “Deployment of Election Equipment, Peripherals, Forms, Supplies, and Paraphernalia with Provision of Warehousing Services” for the 2025 polls.

“Those that will participate in the deployment project mustn’t be connected to any candidate, political party, or party-list organization. We won’t allow such cases. Even their staging areas, hubs, truck, and equipment must have no relations with candidates, political parties, or party-lists,” he said.

The poll official said the Comelec does not want any political color tainting the deployment and warehousing operations in the May 2025 polls.

“We don’t want the people to have any doubts or reservations with regards to our deployment project,” said Laudiangco.

He said they will ask the winning bidder for the P1.7 billion project to issue a declaration of their “political neutrality.”

“Aside from making a full disclosure on who are behind the company, they must declare their political neutrality,” said Laudiangco.

During the opening of bids last Friday, F2 Logistics Philippines Inc. tendered the lowest calculated bids (LCBs) for all the four lots of the project.

Based on the information provided by the Comelec, F2 submitted a bid of P130,999,245.38 for Lot 1 to be declared as the LCB, while LBC Express was the 2nd LCB after tendering a bid of P171,752,169.80.

Lot 1 for the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, and Central Luzon costs P296,240,895.46.

For Lot 2, F2 tendered an LCB of P161,999,800.06, while the 2nd LCB belonged to Ximex Delivery Express amounting to P285,652,316.44.

A total cost of P424,823,145.89 has been allocated for Lot 2 for Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, and National Capital Region.

F2 also owned the LCB of P170,999,502.44 for Lot 3, with LBC posting a bid of P174,743,561.98 for the 2nd LCB.

Comprising Lot 3 with a budget of P364,015,930.28 are Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Eastern Visayas.

With a bid of P221,999,760.48, F2 was declared as having the Single Calculated Bid for Lot 4.

Lot 4 covering Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, Caraga, and Bangsamoro has a budget of P615,718,382.16.

F2 Logistics’ bids are now set to undergo the post-qualification evaluation by the Comelec – Bids and Awards Committee.