Comelec: P1.4B lowest bid for poll transmission project

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THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday said the joint venture of Ione Resources Inc. and Ardent Networks, Inc. submitted the “lowest calculated bid” for the Secure Electronic Transmission Services (SETS) project that will be used in the May 2025 national and local polls.

In its Resolution No. 1, the Comelec – Special Bids and Awards Committee (SBAC) said the joint venture submitted a bid price of P1,426,000,348 for the project, which has an approved budget of P1,638,501,499.40.

“After the opening of the financial component of the above-mentioned eligible bidders, the SBAC proceeded with the bid evaluation and declares Ione Resources, Inc. Joint Venture with Ardent Networks, Inc. as the bidder which submitted the Lowest Calculated Bid (LCB),” said the SBAC.

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The declaration as the LCB comes after the SBAC earlier in the day declared both the Ione Resources joint venture and the joint venture of EBizolution, Inc. – Secur Links Network and Technologies Inc. – Systems Information and Solutions Corporation as “eligible” bidders.

“We affirm the recommendation of the Technical Working Group declaring the EBiz joint venture as eligible; and we, likewise, declare the Ione joint venture as eligible,” SBAC chairman Allen Francis Abaya said earlier.

The EBizolution joint venture tendered a bid of P1,628,888,888.

With the declaration as LCB, the SBAC will now undertake a post-qualification evaluation on the bid of Ione Resources.

“The Technical Working Group (TWG) is hereby directed to subject the bidder with the LCB for said procurement project to post-qualification evaluation,” said the SBAC.

The SETS will be used to transmit election results using telecommunication networks. The project shall include provision of data centers and connectivity requirements for the Automated Election System (AES) servers.

In an interview, Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco said the new SETS is expected to hasten the quick count operations during the 2025 polls.

“The quick count operations will be faster as the PPCRV, NAMFREL, LENTE will have their own servers instead of sourcing it from just one. From there (own server), they can immediately start their quick count,” he said.

“Practically, each server will be the transparency server. Instead of sending to just one server, we got one that can send to all,” he added.

During electoral exercises, poll watchdogs conduct quick counts based on the Election Returns transmitted, which the results of which are considered as unofficial poll results.

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