BUGUIAS, Benguet – The recent expose of some embattled contractors against the alleged rigged bidding process by the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the Department of Public Works and Highways – Benguet Engineering District (DPWH-BED) 2 served as an inspiration for more contractors who had been victimized by anomalies in the process to come out in the open and narrate their own experiences.
Another contractor, who requested anonymity for security and personal reasons, narrated that when she visited the office to purchase bid documents for a P29.6 million flood control project in Taneg, Mankayan, she was informed by a personnel known to her that she was not qualified to bid for the project because she lacked the prescribed experience pursuant to the existing rules and regulations.
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Contractors expose rigged bidding in DPWH-BED 2
As an obedient contractor, she adhered to the advise of the DPWH-BED 2 personnel and opted to bid for a project worth some P15 million which is now subject to post-qualification.
Under the existing bidding rules and regulations, contractors participating in the bidding of projects must have accomplished a project worth 50 percent of the existing project being intended to be bid out.
“We were surprised to learn that a fellow contractor who also lacks the experience and possesses a lower category of his license was awarded the project contrary to what had been done to her, thus, we are now preparing the filing of the appropriate charges against the concerned DPWH-BED 2 officials and personnel to follow the footsteps of our fellow contractors who were also victims of the alleged bidding processes that were done on us,” the concerned contractor stressed.
The embattled contractor questioned why the DPWH-BED 2 BAC members awarded the P29.6 million flood control project to an inexperienced contractor who had zero experience like her on such type of project and again awarded another P30 million project that is already outside his capacity based on what had been told her by the concerned DPWH-BED 2 personnel.
She is wondering why the contractor that was awarded two multi-million projects that is outside his capacity was chosen to implement the said projects when she was disqualified for alleged lack of experience in the first project, thus, it seems that the rules and regulations for the projects are applied to contractors in the said district office on a selective basis.
The contractor suggested that the BAC nullify the award that it gave to the alleged inexperienced contractor like her and award the multi-million flood control project to a much qualified contractor that possesses the required experience to prevent the quality of the project from being compromised once the project will be awarded to an inexperienced contractor.
She disclosed that it seems that BAC members seem to favor some contractors to the extent that projects are being allegedly awarded to inexperienced ones for whatever considerations that are known only to them.
Herald Express tried to reach concerned DPWH-BED 2 officials for their comments on the issues raised but they could not be reached as of press time.
By HENT