The pre-bid conference for the privatization of garbage collection in Bacolod City was terminated by the Bids and Awards Committee Tuesday since no prospective bidder was able to participate for failure to obtain bid documents, BAC chairman Goldwyn Nifras said yesterday.

Nifras, however, said this will not affect the schedule of the bidding and they have set the opening of bids on May 7, 2012.

Under the rules, the pre-bid conference is the stage of procurement where prospective bidders are given the chance to inquire with the city, as the user, and the BAC about the requirements, he said.

During the pre-bid conference, Nifras said they received a request from Councilor Archie Baribar that his letter be taken up in the minutes of the pre-bid conference. But they decided to take up Baribar's letter requesting them not to continue with the bidding procedure in a special meeting, he said.

Baribar said he believes the bidding process requires the approval of the Sanggunaing Panlungsod before it can proceed, Nifras said. He asked why they proceeded with the bidding before obtaining the SP approval, he said.

Nifras said the BAC starts its work upon receipt of the purchase request which was signed by the mayor, city treasurer and budget officer. “There was some urgency to that because of the request of the Department of Public Services, who informed us that its budget is about to be exhausted,” he said.

They deemed it proper to continue with the procedure until such time that they receive a directive from the mayor, he added.

Nifras assured that they followed the procedures by publishing an invitation to bid in a national paper and the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System.

He said the approved budget for the contract (ABC) is P72 million and, based on the purchase request, the contract is for volume of collection. He said the city will pay the contractor by the volume they dispose of in the sanitary landfill.

CDC APPROVAL

Mayor Evelio Leonardia said the City Development Council has approved the privatization of garbage collection services on August 25, 2011, and on Sept. 14, 2011, the SP approved the resolution of the CDC.

After the budget was approved on Dec. 21, the SP asked for a collatilla requiring the submission of a study of the privatization of garbage collection for their information, not subject to their approval, he said.

That was the primary reason that he submitted the study on March 26, 2012 which was received by the SP, Leonardia said. He also signed the purchase request, which means the bidding process is to have already started so they do not waste time, he said.

SP PARTICIPATION

Leonardia said he asked the SP to continue studying the matter because he wants their moral participation in it.

If the bidding pushes through, and there is a qualified bidder, the contract will be submitted to the SP for approval, also said.

The privatization of garbage collection was in the platform he presented to the people, which other mayoralty candidates also agreed to be a solution to garbage management, Leonardia said.*CGS

back to top