Procurement process for 2 Navy ships to start this month

MANILA, Philippines - The procurement process for two naval warships that will boost the Navy’s defense capability will start this month, officials said Wednesday.

A bid bulletin signed by Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo showed the bidding process for the P18-billion project would start on Oct. 25.

The defense department is inviting bidders for the project, which is one of the big-ticket items in the military’s shopping list.

The ships will be acquired through public bidding in line with the procurement law.

Interested parties may buy bid documents from the Bids and Awards Secretariat at Camp Aguinaldo for P75,000.

The documents may also be downloaded from the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System website, provided the bidder will pay for it before the submission of bids.

The defense department will hold a pre-bid conference on Oct. 11 to allow prospective bidders to ask questions about the project.

Sources told The STAR that the bidding would be held in two stages owing to the technical and detailed nature of the project.

First stage bids must be delivered to the bids and awards committee on or before Oct. 25. Late bids and those higher than the approved budget of P18 billion will be rejected.

The first stage will enable officials to screen the proposals and determine which are qualified to proceed to the next stage.

Eligible bidders will be notified for the second stage bidding upon the completion and validation of the documents they submitted.

The date for the second stage bidding will be announced soon.

The defense department is planning to buy brand new frigates, noting that these are more cost-efficient than used ones.

Ma