LESS than two years before the May 2028 National and Local Elections (NLE), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has approved the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Secure Electronic Transmission Services (SETS) that will be used in the polls.
Under Minute Resolution No. 26-0720, the Comelec en banc approved the TOR, clearing the way for the procurement process for the election transmission system.
“The Commission, after due deliberation, resolves to approve the attached and forming integral part hereof, the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Secure Electronic Transmission Services (SETS) for the 2028 National and Local Elections,” the Comelec said.
The commission also directed its Special Bids and Awards Committee for the Automated Election System (SBAC-AES) and the 2028 NLE Project Management Office to immediately proceed with the procurement process.
The TOR was approved following the incorporation of comments from the Comelec en banc, the Comelec Advisory Council and other election stakeholders.
Comelec has set an estimated P1.7-billion budget for the SETS.
ONLINE VOTING FOR OVERSEAS FILIPINOS
Meanwhile, the Comelec has allocated more than P451 million for the procurement of an Online Voting and Counting System (OVCS) for overseas voters in the 2028 elections.
In its Invitation to Bid, the commission officially opened the procurement process with an approved budget of P451,996,557.57.
“The Comelec now invites bids for the above procurement... Bids received in excess of the approved budget shall be automatically rejected at the Bid Opening,” the commission said.
The project will cover system customization, election management, pre-voting enrollment, voter authentication and identity verification, the online voting process, post-election procedures, audit and monitoring systems, hardware and data center infrastructure, and cybersecurity requirements.
It will also include training and documentation, post-election data handling and backup, system certification, local source code review, and quality control and assurance.
Interested bidders may obtain bidding documents from the SBAC Secretariat at the Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila.
Bids must be submitted manually to the SBAC Secretariat on or before 9 a.m. on Oct. 6, 2026.
The opening of bids is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on the same day at the Bureau of the Treasury Convention Hall at the Palacio del Gobernador. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)
