The bidding for the purchase of 21 UH-1 helicopters has been
declared a failure after bidders fell short of satisfying some requirements, a
defense official said yesterday.
Defense
Undersecretary Fernando Manalo said the two firms that submitted offers had
failed to meet certain eligibility requirements.
The opening
of bids for the 21 helicopters was held last Tuesday at the Department of
National Defense (DND) office in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
The
government seeks to use the helicopters to meet the airlift requirements during
the 2013 polls and to conduct disaster response operations.
Six
companies bought bid documents but only two – Star Defense System/Radom Israel
and Rise Aircraft Services Inc. – joined the bidding.
Manalo told
The STAR among the issues tackled during the bidding is whether the bidders can
deliver the helicopters by the end of February.
The Air
Force previously recommended that the helicopters be delivered by Feb. 28, 2013
to meet the higher demand for airlift requirements during the elections.
Manalo said
the two firms could still ask the DND Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) to
reconsider its decision to declare them ineligible to bid. If the companies
submit motions for reconsideration, the BAC will tackle them in a meeting next
week.
Another
bidding may be held in the event that the BAC rejects the motion for
reconsideration of the bidders.
Despite the
failed bidding, Manalo gave assurance that efforts are being undertaken to
fast-track the military’s upgrade efforts.
The UH-1 or
Huey, which falls under the light lift category, is the primary helicopter of
the Air Force.
The Air
Force, then led by Lt. Gen. Oscar Rabena, made the request for additional Hueys
in 2011.
The DND
originally sought to acquire the 21 helicopters through negotiated procurement
under emergency cases.
DND had
asked the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) to allow it to tap
negotiated procurement under emergency in buying the helicopters, saying the
state of the military’s inventory reflects “a large capability gap.”
The GPPB,
however, said the acquisition should be done through public bidding, a longer
process than negotiated procurement.
There are
only 16 mission-capable Hueys in the Air Force inventory, 51 units short of the
ideal number of operational combat utility helicopters.
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