13 bidders express interest to provide indelible ink, other supplies for May 13 polls

Thirteen bidders have expressed interest Thursday to supply and deliver indelible ink, fixed length seal, carbonless paper, plastic security seal for ballot boxes and other election requirements for the May 13 polls.

 

The Commission on Elections allocated some P231 million for the procurement of the supplies.

 

The pre-bidding conference was conducted from 10 am to 12 noon. During the conference, the interested suppliers, who have purchased bidding documents, were allowed to ask questions and clarifications.

 

The actual bidding will be held on February 18 at 10 in the morning. But before the bidding, interested suppliers must submit their bids to the Bids and Awards Committee Secretariat.

 

Bidders are required to submit samples for each item subject of their bids to the BAC Secretariat, together with the bid envelopes for technical evaluation immediately after determination of the lowest calculated bid.

 

The BAC said late bids will not be accepted. The prospective bidders are: -Vibal Publishing House Inc. -Noah’s Paper Mills, Inc. -PRINTWELL, Inc. -AGP Trading, Inc. -TROJAN Marketing, Inc. -ASA Color & Chemical Industries, Inc. -TOPBEST Printing Corporation -TEXAS Resources Corporation -NEUTRON Construction & Mktg. Corp. -Ernest Printing Corporation -Book Media Press, Inc. -LEXTON Commercial Mktg. Corp. -BIAN-JOHN Office Supplies & Gen. Merchandise. Comelec earlier declared that Noah’s submitted the lowest calculated bid for the supply and delivery of ballot boxes for the May 13 polls. Noah's is now in the final stages of the bidding process. Printwell, on the other hand, was awarded the contract for the printing and delivery of ballot secrecy folders for the May 2010 polls. Meanwhile, ASA was accused of overpricing the indelible ink it supplied for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao voters registration last July. Texas won the bidding to supply the 720,000 bottles of indelible ink for the May 2010 elections, while Neutron supplied 228,000 padlocks for the safekeeping of 77 ballot boxes for the May 2010 polls. Ernest has been tapped by the Comelec to print Election, Returns for Testing and Sealing, Envelope, for Minutes of Testing and Sealing; Voting and Counting (Minutes), Election Watchers ID in Polling Place, Comelec Pass, Comelec Cargo Sticker for the May 2010 polls. Ernest was also the company that printed election returns for the 2001 polls. — Amita Legaspi/RSJ/DVM, GMA News