‘Rigged bidding’ of P200M Baguio projects

EDITORIAL

The Baguio City District Engineering Office of the Department of Public Works and Highways recently denied allegations of alleged rigged bidding of around P200 million of various road infrastructure projects in the Summer Capital saying manipulation of prescribed procedures  will compromise performance of public works contractors and sacrifice quality of projects.

Engineer Ireneo S. Gallato, DPWH-BCDEO district engineer, said it is unfair for disgruntled contractors to accuse them of rigging the bidding process because they were not declared “lowest complying and responsive bidders” to four major projects subjected to public bidding by the agency recently.

“We do not have business to agreements made between contractors on who will be the winning bidders for projects because the process is open public bidding whereby all qualified contractors will be allowed to participate in the process being undertaken by the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) composed of technical and legal personnel and observers from various private and public organizations,” Gallato said.

Aside from submitting the lowest calculated bid, Gallato said participating qualified contractors are also evaluated in terms of their minimum technical capability, financial requirements and previous performance in implementation of awarded projects through post-evaluation process undertaken by a technical working group.

The P00 million public works projects that were bid out by the agency included the P50 million each for the widening, concreting and drainage construction along Kennon road, Naguilian road, Baguio-Asin road and Rimando road.

He said BAC members included representatives from the Commission on Audit and non-government groups like the Bantay Lansangan and the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, apart from technical personnel from the agency, who painstakingly scrutinize the documentary requirements of the qualified bidders, thus, the rigging of the open and public bidding is totally remote.

“If we manipulate the bidding, the performance of the winning contractors will be compromised and the quality of projects will be sacrificed. We do not want that to happen because it will be the public who will suffer the negative consequences of poor quality projects,” he added.

He claimed compliance of the contractors to the procedures and processes will be pursuant to issued department orders by the DPWH central office in relation to their compliance to the right project, right cost, right quality and right time.

Gallato said determination of the lowest complying and responsive bidder is lodged with the technical working group and the BAC and that his role is simply ministerial in the sense that he bases his judgment on the completed staff work without fear or favor.

He appealed to those who continue sowing intrigues among contractors and DPWH personnel to refrain from crating divisiveness to suit their own personal interests.

The issue had been aired many times in media. Disgruntled contractors should file charges against DPWH officials if they believe they have evidence against them regarding the projects. If they can’t, then they should just shut up. Fair is fair.