Comelec: 2 tech firms ineligible to supply internet voting

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is set to hold another public bidding for internet voting as the only two bidders were both declared ineligible.

Comelec-Special Bids and Awards Committee (SBAC) yesterday issued ineligibility notices to We Are I.T. Philippines Inc. and Indra Soluciones Technologias de La Information.

“We will set another pre-bid conference and immediately after that within the regulamentary period, we can set the next bidding. We expect that mid-March,” Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiango said.

He expressed belief that technology providers are capable of complying with the requirements.

According to Laudiango, several other companies purchased bidding documents, but later informed the Comelec that they would be unable to participate in the bidding process due to difficulty securing required certifications.

Upon preliminary examination of the bids submitted, SBAC said, the two companies were found to have failed to meet the criteria set by the commission.

SBAC said Indra was found non-compliant on Net Financial Contracting Capacity due to an unsigned certificate and current assets and liabilities.

Indra also failed to submit credentials of its third-party certifiers and the certification of the final version of the system.

We Are I.T., on the other hand, was found non-compliant on its statement of single largest completed contract and also unable to submit documentary proof that it legally owns an online voting system.

I.T. was also unable to submit proof of compliance to the technical specifications for the printer, particularly on auto-volt switching.

SBAC previously extended the deadline for the submission of bids for the Online Voting and Counting System (OVCS) to give more time for prospective bidders to prepare the numerous requirements.

The Comelec has a budget of P465.8 million for the OVCS to be used in next year’s overseas voting.