The Commission on Elections said that at least three companies have filed intentions to participate in the bidding for the P18 billion automated 2025 midterm elections.
Poll chairman George Garcia said that this early, the Comelec has conducted the pre-bid conference where potential bidders were able to ask questions about the contract for the automated election system.
One of the items that need to be supplied is new machines that will replace vote-counting machines.
Garcia identified the three companies that have purchased bidding documents as Smartmatic, Miru Systems, Co. Ltd., and Pivot International.
He said two other firms have signified their intentions to join the bidding, as the poll chief is hoping that more companies will join the bidding.
Garcia said that the poll body will procure not just the hardware to be used for the 2025 polls but also the software needed for the transmission of results and internet voting for overseas Filipino workers.
“We are encouraging all suppliers nationwide and worldwide to participate in the procurement,” Garcia said.
The use of a fully automated system is required by law and the manual counting of votes tends to be marred with delays and errors, especially when voters’ handwriting is ineligible.
The use of machines to automatically count votes would only take an hour and could also prevent delays caused by those objecting to the results, Garcia said.
Garcia has also instructed the Special Bids and Awards Committee to simplify the bidding process rather than end up nitpicking.
“We told the Bids and Awards Committee, we appealed to them that when it comes to minor technicalities, it is something that they can set aside,” Garcia said.