MANILA, Philippines—With new car owners waiting months for their government-issued license plates, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has given its potential suppliers more time to prepare their bids.
The two-week extension of the deadline for the submission and opening of bids, now set on April 22, was given to ensure that bidders are able to give their best offers to the government.
The extension was announced last week, and was granted “upon the request of bidders to give them ample time to prepare bidding documents,” the DOTC said. The previous deadline was April 8.
Last February, the LTO said it had earmarked a budget of P3.85 billion for the new supply deal that would introduce a redesigned license plate for cars. The DOTC said the deal was enough for 5.24 million plates for motor vehicles, which include cars, jeepneys and trucks. This will also cover the cost of 9.97 million new plates for motorcycles.
The current license plate design and font has been in use since 1981.
In its invitation, the DOTC instructed interested parties that each pair of license plates together with screws and stickers should cost no more than P450 for cars, and P150 for motorcycles.
Earlier this year, the Commission on Audit (COA) ordered that the LTO disqualify from bidding for all future contracts GJB Enterprises Inc., the company that was awarded the supply contract for license plates in 2010.
The company was awarded a P21.3 million-contract to deliver 82,862 aluminum sheeting materials for motor vehicles and 39,922 sheets for motorcycle plates on Dec. 18, 2010, a COA report showed.
The supplier was supposed to deliver 25 percent of required aluminum plates within 30 days from the issuance of the Notice to Proceed on Jan. 3, 2011. The company, however, failed to complete the delivery within five months after the initial delivery.
COA discovered that the supplier still had a shortfall of 49,762 motor vehicle plates and 21,887 motorcycle plates as of end of last year.