DND to purchase P1.7-B worth of body armors

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

MANILA - The Department of National Defense (DND) will procure P1.76 billion worth of force protection equipment or body armors to minimize casualties of those in the battlefields.

DND assistant secretary for personnel and concurrent DND-Bids and Awards Committee chairman Efren Fernandez said the 44,080 sets of body armors will be for the use of Army and Marine soldiers, most of whom are deployed in war-torn areas.

A pre-bid conference will be held on Feb. 14 at the DND-BAC conference room in Camp Aguinaldo. The deadline for the submission of bids will be on February 28.

Fernandez said the procurement will be via an open competitive bidding process using a non-discretionary "pass-fail" criterion as specified in the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Government Procurement Act.

"Bids received in excess of the ABC (Approved Budget for the Contract) shall be automatically rejected at the bid opening," he explained.

The bidding will be open to all, whether local or foreign firms, he stressed.

The winner will have to deliver the equipment within 365 calendar days from the opening of the letter of credit.

AFP spokesman Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos said: "This is in line with our thrust to minimize casualties. This is a big development. We value human resources, that's why we put premium to their protection while they conduct security operations.”