Deputy Speaker Bernadette Herrera on Wednesday sought a congressional probe into the questionable bidding process on the procurement of 39,000 laptop computers for the Department of Education (DepEd).
Herrera asked why the contract for the supply and delivery of laptop computers for public school teachers is set to be awarded not to the 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,” the lawmaker pointed out.
“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.
Herrera was also infuriated to find out that the price difference was due to the laptop bag and not the laptop computer itself.
What made the matters worse, Herrera said, was the lowest bidder got a post-disqualification notice for allegedly not complying with the requirements, including the required specification for the carrying bag.
The requirement was for a ballistic nylon, but the lowest bidder submitted as sample a bag made from 100 percent polyester, said Herrera.
The party-list legislator said Congress must do something to prevent the government from getting shortchanged in procurement projects using people’s money.