The Philippine Bureau of Customs (BOC) is going to spend P480 million from its 2017 budget to buy three portal x-ray machines, as it announced the opening of bidding for the procurement project.
BOC said the contract for the supply, delivery, installation, and commissioning of the three x-ray machines is now open to interested bidders.
The agency said bidders should have completed, within five years prior to the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the project.
Open competitive bidding procedures will be observed using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) No. 9184, otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act.
Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least 60% interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country whose laws or regulations grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to R.A. No. 5183, the law that regulates the awarding of contracts for the procurement of government supplies.
Bids must be received by the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Secretariat on or before December 20, 2017 at 9:00 a.m. Bids will be opened on the same date. BOC also held a pre-bid conference last December 8.
Interested bidders may obtain further information as well as bidding documents from the BOC BAC Secretariat. Bidding documents may also be downloaded from the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System and the website of the procuring entity.
Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña earlier said he intended to acquire more x-ray machines to strengthen the capability of the customs bureau to inspect shipments entering the country. Currently, BOC is implementing a scheme in which 80% of shipments entering the country daily are directed to the red lane for x-ray inspection. For big ports like the Manila International Container Port and Manila South Harbor, 20% of daily shipments are tagged red.
Meanwhile, BOC last September said it was going to install new x-ray machines at the three terminals of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to combat intensified smuggling and drug trafficking activities. – Roumina Pablo
