3 firms join pre-bid for 3 PAF planes worth P5.3B

From InterAksyon (Oct 1): 3 firms join pre-bid for 3 PAF planes worth P5.3B

Three firms joined the pre-bid conference held Monday by the Bids and Awards Committee of the Department of National Defense for the acquisition of three brand new medium-lift fixed-wing aircraft worth P5.3 billion.

According to an official document obtained Tuesday by InterAksyon.com, the firms that bought bid documents were Alenia Aermacchi, which may offer its C28J model, EADS Casa Air Bus Military, C295 model, and PT Dirgantara Indonesia/Indonesian Aerospace (IAe/Persero), C235 model.

The BAC is chaired by Fernando Manalo, undersecretary for Finance, Munitions, Installations and Materiel, with Patrick Velez, assistant secretary for Acquisition, Installations and Logistics as vice-chairman.

Sources who attended the conference said discussions centered on questions from the participating bidders on the Procurement Law, bid documents and specifications of the units to be procured.

Interestingly, PT Dirgantara’s presence in the pre-bid conference raised the eyebrows of some observers.

Last week, the DND-BAC declared the Indonesian firm the “lone qualified bidder” for a contract to supply two brand new light-lift fixed-wing aircrafts more than P800 million although it lacked a “local credit line.”

PT Dirgantara offered a bid price of P812,550,000 for its NC-212-400 Aviocar.

“During the opening of bid documents, Dirgantara was not able to present a Credit Line Certification from a local financial commercial bank in the Philippines,” a source privy to the bidding said. “What it presented only is an ongoing transmittal transaction. Therefore, the BAC should have declared failed bidding and possibly announced there and then a rebid. We also don’t know why BAC gave the Technical Working Group 7 days to evaluate Dirgantara’s documents. For what?”

A second source said the document Dirgantara lacks would be “subject for post qualification” process.

“I find this very, very irregular,” he said.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/71851/3-firms-join-pre-bid-for-3-paf-planes-worth-p5-3b