Restriction on fire trucks procurement lifted

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Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla yesterday said he has removed a “restrictive” rule in relation to the procurement of fire trucks for the Bureau of Fire Protection, an agency under the interior department.

“The BFP system has been very restrictive when it comes to procurement so we removed it,” Remulla told the Kapihan sa Manila Bay.

The previous rule states that the firms participating in the bidding process should be a supplier of the BFP for the last 20 years.

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“So obviously there is collusion,” said Remulla, adding that the rule limited the number of bidders to just two.

“We removed it, we’re opening it up (to other suppliers),” said Remulla, adding that he expects the cost of one fire truck to go down from around P30 million to P15 million.

“The cost of a fire truck now is P30 million. Since we’re opening it up, it might go down to P15 million per truck,” said Remulla.

Remulla said the BFP is planning to acquire at least 600 fire trucks.

“We just changed the system. So we’re appointing new people at BAC (Bids and Awards Committee) and once we get certification from DBM (Department of Budget and Management) for availability of funds, we are going to bid it out,” said Remulla.

He said a total of 12 suppliers have already signified their intention to join the bidding process.

“My only concern is that we find the best possible price for the best possible units,” said Remulla.

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