Wazzup Pilipinas!
We at the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) always strive to promote the ideals of good governance with our policy of open and transparent bidding. We have nothing to fear because we maintain that the procurement process of the three-year Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) maintenance service provider was completely aboveboard.
According to news reports, the complaint was filed by Vito Gaspar Silo, the Secretary General of the Alliance for Consumerism and Transparency or ACTION.
We will review the complaint once we receive an official copy, but rest assured that we will fully cooperate with the investigation, just as we always have with institutions established to fight corruption in the government. We have faith that the impartiality and courage of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales will lead to fair proceedings that will shed light on this matter.
Due to the urgency of the system’s need for a maintenance provider and in order to restore vital public services, as many passengers rely on the service every day, the DOTC resorted to an alternative mode of procurement under the Government Procurement Reform Act, which the Department of Justice (DOJ) opined to be justified and was unanimously approved by the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB).
The DOTC invited the following international and reputable railway firms as prospective offerors despite being given the authority to invite only one: SMRT International, Hamburg-Consult GmbH, Korea Railroad Corporation, and Busan Transportation Corporation. The SBI-CB&T JV requested to be included in the list of bidders and was allowed by the agency.
The maintenance contract was awarded to the Busan Joint Venture after careful evaluation of its financial and technical qualifications, with the Procurement Law properly and sufficiently followed.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
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