Capitol approves ConEquip’s motion to bid for P254 M project

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu provincial government’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) has granted the motion for reconsideration of ConEquip Philippines making it among the three suppliers qualified to bid for the Capitol’s plan to purchase heavy equipment in the amount of P254 million.

 In fact, during the opening of the bid documents, technical and financial requirements yesterday, ConEquip turned out to have the highest bid in the amount of P250,600,336.

 Provincial General Services Office head Jone Siegfred Sepe, BAC vice chairperson, said all requirements submitted by the three qualified bidders shall pass through post-qualification evaluation.

 During the opening of bids last September 7, BAC declared RDAK Transport Equipment and Civic Merchandising Inc.-Volvo Construction Equipment as the only bidders to have complied with the requirements.

 RDAK has the lowest bid price of P235,050,000 while Civic Merchandising Inc.-Volvo Construction Equipment has a bid price of P237,168,000.

 BAC has initially disqualified ConEquip and TKC Heavy Industries but they both manifested to file their respective motions for reconsideration.

 Prior to the opening of the bid documents of ConEquip, a representative of Civic presented a letter from its assistant vice president for Visayas Operations, Benito Jomoc, manifesting their position that the motion should not have been granted.

 BAC had earlier declared the bidder as “failed” on the ground that the technical document was incomplete since it was not notarized.

 “This incomplete document was clearly ‘the fault of the bidder concerned’ and not one else!” read Jomoc’s letter addressed to BAC chairman, lawyer Mark Tolentino, the Provincial Administrator.

 Civic lawyer Johnson Hontanosas earlier claimed being the only bidder that complied with Republic Act No. 8495, otherwise known as the Philippine Mechanical Engineering Act of 1998.

 It also has the specifications and brands of equipment needed by the provincial government.  

 The equipment include various brands of boom truck, bulldozers, dump trucks, forklift, water tank truck, excavator, wheel loader, motor grader, road roller, lift truck and 10-wheeler self loading truck. — (FREEMAN)