GOV. Hilario Davide III yesterday clarified that there was a typographical error in one of the two notices of award (NOA)on equipment bid that were submitted before the Provincial Board (PB), and assured that this has been corrected.
Davide issued the clarifications following a news report that the governor signed two NOAs with different dates for the purchase of the P227.4-million worth brand new construction light and heavy equipment.
The public bidding was conducted last Nov. 25, 2016. But one NOA was dated Oct. 27, 2015 or more than a year before the bidding, and another NOA was dated Dec. 7, 2016 or 12 days after the bidding.
The two NOAs were both addressed to Ralph Clinton U. Tio, managing director of ConEquip Philippines Inc./RDAK Transport Equipment Inc. (joint venture).
Provincial Administrator Mark Tolentino said that what they usually do is to ask the governor to sign a whole bunch of documents, but these will not be released pending the approval of the PB.
“For all intents and purposes, we really come up with the documents in preparation for the approval by the PB. About 90 percent of the transaction that we undertake here must be given authority by PB,” said Tolentino.
Siegfred Sepe, head of the Provincial General Services Department, said that after a resolution is issued by the bids and awards committee (BAC), the winning bidder will also be issued a copy.
Sepe said that the NOA has a template provided by the Government Procurement Policy Board.
“It was downloaded and our staff committed an error. But when the error was discovered, it was rectified so that there was the same amount but with different dates,” said Sepe.
Sepe said that the rectified copy was submitted to the PB. However, during their caucus, some PB members asked for copies of the NOA prompting General Services Department to reproduce it.
However, the one that was reproduced was the document that had an error. The corrected copy was also reproduced, thereby, it appeared that there were two NOAs.
Sepe and Tolentino said that Davide has not yet signed the contract because he is still waiting for the authority from the PB.
For the two department heads, there is no issue on the matter because everything has been corrected.