Bidder cries ‘foul’ over NFA deal

Officials of a leading manufacturer of rice and corn sacks cried foul over an alleged "systematic" attempt to exclude their company from participating in a bidding for the supply of 10.6 million pieces of polypropylene bags worth P80 million to the National Food Authority (NFA).

"There is a sinister plot by some quarters to disqualify us from the bidding," officials of Jodaar Cottage Industries (JCI) said.

They claimed that the NFA bidding and awards committee (BAC) disqualified them from taking part in the final bidding originally set last April 22 on a "baseless and flimsy" reason of alleged failure to submit a vicinity map of their plant in Quezon City. JCI maintained that the ground for disqualification cited by the BAC was "absolutely false." It clarified that the required location map of their manufacturing facility was submitted to the BAC last April 9, or nine days before the scheduled pre-bidding conference.

They insisted that the BAC’s allegation was unfounded since an NFA technical working group headed by Ramoncito Padilla even personally inspected their plant on April 17, accompanied by JCI sales manager.