Our offer’s better, says plates bidder

MANILA, Philippines—A bidder for the Land Transportation Office’s (LTO) P3.8-billion license plate supply deal on Friday asked the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to reconsider the firm’s disqualification, saying that taxpayers and motorists stand to recognize significant cost savings in case its proposal is chosen.

In a press statement, RNA Holdings Inc. said it could supply LTO with license plates for motor vehicles as much as P2 billion cheaper than the two other bidders that DOTC had prequalified for the deal.

RNA Holdings’ representative Robert Aventajado filed a motion for reconsideration last May 8 with Transportation Undersecretary Jose Perpetuo Lotilla who heads the department’s bids and awards committee.

A reversal of DOTC’s move to disqualify RNA and five other bidders “would benefit not only the government, or specifically DOTC, but the Filipino nation as a whole as will be shown later,” Aventajado said.

More expensive plates

“As earlier mentioned, this move is coupled with the interest of the Filipino nation as a whole,” he added, explaining that the bidders earlier deemed compliant by DOTC with its requirements offered significantly more expensive license plates.

In particular, Dutch consortium JKG-Powerplates offered to sell LTO motor vehicle plates at P380 per pair and P120 per piece for motorcycles. Another qualified bidder, Spain’s Industrias Samart-Datatrail offered motor vehicle plates at P388.05 per pair and P128.00 per piece for motorcycles.

RNA—which partnered with Polish firm Utal Sp. Z.O.O. for the bid—offered to supply LTO with motor vehicle plates at only P163.85 per pair and motorcycle plates at P46.16 per piece.

“The benefit to the motoring public is obvious,” Aventajado said. “A difference of P216.15 per pair of motor vehicle plates and P84.04 per motorcycle plate should readily show that RNA deserves the chance to be allowed to compete up to the end of the bidding process, and not be disqualified for flimsy and unclear bidding rules. The Filipino nation deserves the best product and best price available.”

Why no audit report

He further stated that the disqualification of RNA is based merely on formal requirements but they have substantially complied with the same.

Aventajado said that RNA substantially complied with the financial requirement by submitting an audit report. Since RNA is a joint venture with a Polish firm, they could not easily get hold of financial reports since Poland does not allow the ordinary financial statements to be released if the company is not a public company.

“In short, to get such financial statement, the only way is to present the audit report which refer to the same figures in the same place. Thus, the submission,” Aventajado explained.

Secondly, he said, RNA submitted a bank certificate for P390 million to support the financial requirement.