A Huey helicopter is seen at the PAF hangar in Pasay City. JAIME SINAPIT, INTERAKSYON.COM
The failure of the third attempt to get a qualified supplier for the 21 Hueys (UH-IH1) urgently needed by the Philippine Air Force sets back efforts to meet the huge gaps in the command's requirements, but officials said they are determined to acquire these, either by holding yet another bidding or through a negotiated purchase.
PAF Vice Commander Maj. Gen. Raul Dimatactac said, “The 21 [helicopters] are very important to be added to our inventory in the 205th [Tactical Helicopter Wing] in order to effectively respond not only to the requirements of the Armed Forces but [also to] other agencies that need the services of these UH-IH1 helicopters.”
At present, the wing has only 21 operational Hueys, about a fifth of the ideal number.
“Our 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing used to have four squadrons, and per our table of equipment standard a squadron is composed of 24 helicopters. So, the [standard requirement] is we need 96. However, because of budget constraints and the limitations in procurement, we only asked for 45 [units] for the year 2013,” he explained.
He broke down the units in the inventory thus: 33 are beyond economical repair and 22 are recoverable. "We’ve only 21 operational at present. That’s why we badly need to procure the 21 UH-IH1 helicopters.”
Last Friday, the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Department of National Defense declared for a third time a failure of bidding for the 21 helicopters after the bidders failed to submit documents necessary to qualify.
Despite the setback, Fernando Manalo, defense undersecretary for Finance, Munitions, Installations and Materiel, stressed the P1.2-billion project will push through.
“The procedure is to return the bidding documents to the major service, to the Philippine Air Force, and immediately we will direct them to make a study and make a recommendation whether we are going to pursue the acquisition. It should be the end user who will have the final say after what happened today,” he told reporters after the failed bidding.
Manalo explained “the problem is not with the system, not with the Bids and Awards Committee.” This, amid allegations of “power plays” among certain defense and military personalities to favor just one bidder.
Asked if the BAC will set a fourth bidding, he replied, “It can be a negotiated procurement.”
At a recent Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC) forum that featured military top brass, Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Lauro Catalino dela Cruz replied positively to a question on whether the BAC has the option under the Procurement Law to proceed for a negotiated deal after two failed biddings. “[That’s true] that per law, after two failed biddings we can go to negotiations." However, he said, "there were some proponents who signified their interest. So we bid in order for us to be transparent.”
In the same forum, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Emmanuel Bautista said the budget for the 21 UH-IH1 is not included in the P75 billion approved by President Benigno Aquino III to buy for new equipment until 2016. Instead, it will be sourced from the P5-billion regular modernization fund of the AFP.
The Air Force has eight brand-new Sokol helicopters bought from PZL Swidnik of Poland. President Aquino criticized this deal in his 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July22. The command was supposed to acquire combat utility helicopter. These choppers are deployed with the 505th Search-And-Rescue Group.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/70267/3rd-failed-bidding-for-choppers-sets-back-pafs-urgent-need-for-hueys
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