DepEd to rebid P427-million noodle procurement contract, eyes unbundling of bidding

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) is looking at alternative strategies in conducting the re-bidding of the P427-million noodle procurement contract for school year 2009 to ensure a fair and transparent selection of a winning supplier.

This was revealed by Education Secretary Jesli Lapus as he assured that the DepEd was bent on implementing within this school year their School Feeding Program in public schools which has been successful in encouraging students to continue going to school.

“There will be a re-bidding,” Lapus told the STAR.

“This program must be implemented this school year for the sake of the 400,000 target beneficiaries,” Lapus added.

Lapus shared that DepEd was looking at making modifications on the re-bidding to be conducted, such as “unbundling” the components of the contract, holding a separate bid for the supply of the noodles and the delivery of the noodles to the beneficiary-schools; and making some changes in the product specifications.

Such modifications would avoid the repeat of a controversy that arose over the first bidding held by the DepEd for the P427-million contract won by Jeverps Manufacturing Corp., Lapus said, which has resulted to a Senate investigation and graft charges being filed against Lapus and several DepEd officials as well as the winning bidder before the Ombudsman by government supplier Kolonwel Trading that had wanted to join the bidding.

“A new procurement plan is in the works. We are evaluating various alternatives,” Lapus said.

The DepEd’s school feeding program is one of two components of the government’s Food for Schools Program with the other being the distribution of one-kilogram bags of rice to students in covered schools within the 13 food-poor provinces in the country.

The FSP has been a strategy of the DepEd to address the low participation rate problem of students in public schools. School participation is the rate at which students turn up for classes in their respective schools.

Aside from addressing the low participation rate problem, DepEd also deals with the high malnutrition rate problem through the FSP by distributing iron-fortified rice in their rice distribution program.

“School feeding in 13 food-poor provinces is crucial to address the high rate of malnutrition — a major cause of students’ low achievement, absenteeism and dropout. It’s mandated by law and has been a regular priority program every year since 1999,” Lapus said.