An investigation is being sought by House Deputy Speaker Bernadette Herrera-Dy over the questionable bidding process on the purchase of the Department of Education (DepEd) of 39,000 laptop computers for teachers.
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She questioned why the contract for the supply and delivery of the laptop units is set to be awarded not to the lowest bidder, but to the second-lowest bidder, which is contrary to the mandate of Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act.
We received information that the contract was practically secured by the second-lowest bidder at almost P2.3 billion, which is P167 million higher than the bid of the lowest bidder,
Herrera-Dy said.
This is quite alarming and unacceptable because the P167 million that the government stands to lose from this project could be used elsewhere, especially during this pandemic,
she added.
She also found out that the laptop bag and not the laptop computer itself was the cause of the price difference.
Bakit naman ang laptop bag at hindi ang specs ng computer ang naging basehan sa pag-award ng contract sa pagbili ng laptop computers para sa mga guro natin sa public school? Nang dahil lang sa bag?
Herrera asked.
Additionally, Herrera-Dy claimed that the lowest bidder was disqualified for allegedly not complying with the requirements, including the required specification for the carrying bag. The bag needs to be made with ballistic nylon, but the lowest bidder submitted as a sample a bag made from 100 percent polyester.
She stressed that the Congress should do something about this to “to prevent the government from getting shortchanged in procurement projects using people’s money.”
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House leader seeks investigation on DepEd’s procurement of laptops for teachers
Reviewed by Issues PH
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June 24, 2021
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Reviewed by Issues PH
on
June 24, 2021
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