THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) is out to make the forthcoming public bidding for the 2025 automated election system (AES) more inclusive by making its requirements easier to meet.
In a letter sent to the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB), Comelec chairman George Garcia asked the agency if it is possible to modify the bidding requirements, particularly on the Single Largest Contracting Capacities (SLCC).
“May the Commission on Elections, in its procurement of highly specialized types of goods, where only a few providers are known to be available and after the conduct of market research, modify its bidding documents to reduce the percentage required in the submission by the prospective bidders of their Single Largest Contracting Capacities?” asked Garcia.
In particular, the official is asking the GPPB to allow Comelec to reduce the SLCC from being at least 50 percent of the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to at least 30 percent of the ABC.
Similarly, he asked the GPPB to permit the submission of at least two completed similar contracts with an aggregate contract amounts equivalent to at least 30 percent of the ABC, and the largest of similar contracts equivalent to at least half of the percentage of the ABC proposed or at least 15 percent.
“The undersigned humbly asks for your preferential attention and response on the matter as this Commission is about to commence its procurement activities considering the magnitude of its requirements for the 2025 national and local elections (NLE),” said the poll chief.
In a separate interview, Garcia said they are looking to ease the bidding requirements to make more potential service providers eligible to participate in the public bidding for the 2025 AES project.
“We want everybody to be able to participate and offer their systems and machines to the Comelec. We want to show that the bidding is not tailor fit to and is in favor of only one company,” said Garcia.
Currently, he said they believe that the current requirements are tantamount to “restriction of trade.”
“The current requirement of 50 percent completed contract will likely limit participation. We want to level the playing field so that the Comelec will have more options,” he said.
The Comelec had already said it no longer intends to use the over 90,000 vote counting machines (VCMs) that it purchased from Smartmatic Philippines in the 2025 national elections.
