All poll automation bidders out of race, but Comelec says no failure of bidding yet

MANILA, Philippines – The race to snatch the coveted 2010 poll automation contract seemed to have just been deserted, with all seven participating firms disqualified. But the race is not yet over. The Commission on Election (Comelec) clarified on Thursday that a “failure of bidding" could not yet be declared, because the bidders are still entitled to appeal. Director Ferdinand Rafanan, chairman of the poll body’s Special Bids and Awads Committee (SBAC), said that the last standing bidder, the consortium of Gilat of Israel and F.F. Cruz and Co. Inc. of the Philippines, was disqualified after presenting past contracts used not by the consortium but its subsidiaries. Rafanan, however, was quick to add that despite the series of disqualifications, the P11.3-billion automated polls in 2010 would still push through. “We are still confident we can still proceed with the automation," Rafanan said, an assurance that was echoed by both poll Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer and Comelec spokesman James Jimenez. Ferrer said if the biddings fail twice, the country could either go manual once more or enter into a negotiated contract, moves seen by critics as tainting the credibility of the election process. Jimenez, however, assured that the Comelec is still nowhere near considering a negotiated contract because the body has yet to declare a failure of bidding. The Comelec still has to await the disqualified firms’ respective appeals, he said. In the last three days, starting Monday, the SBAC witnessed one bidder after the other get stricken out of the list, each one failing to meet at least one documentary requirement. Apart from Gilat, the other bidders were: • Avante International Inc. of the United States (with partners Canon Marketing Philippines of Japan and Netnode Technologies, DB Vizards and Creative Points of the Philippines); • Indra Sistemas of Spain (with partners Strategic Alliance Holdings Inc. of the Philippines and Hart Intercivic of the United States); • Sequoia Voting Systems of United States; • Total Information Management Co. of Philippines and Smartmatic of the Netherlands; • Amalgated Metro Philippines and Syrex Inc., both of Philippines and Anishin Inc. of Taiwan; and • AMA Group of Companies of the Philippines and Election System and Software of USA. Eleven companies had expressed interest in the contract for the historic automation of the 2010 polls, but only the seven ended up submitting applications. The series of disqualifications is seen to trigger a setback as a lawmaker at the House of Representatives expressed fears that the move might leave the preparations for the automated polls “half-baked." - GMANews.TV