Smartmatic bags new P2.5-B poll contract

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has virtually awarded to the joint venture of Smartmatic-TIM Corp. the P2.503-billion voting machine procurement contract after it reversed a decision by the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) that disqualified the Venezuela-based firm and another bidder, Indra Sistemas, S.A., for submitting non-responsive bids.

The project involves the lease of 23,000 units of precinct-based Optical Mark Reader (OMR) that the Comelec will use in the 2016 elections to augment the 82,000 units of Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines, which were also supplied by Smartmatic and are currently the subject of a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court (SC).