Manila probes bid-rigging allegations in chopper deal
Reuters January 9, 2008 at 6:15 AM EST
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MANILA — The Philippines has ordered an inquiry into allegations of bid-rigging in a tender to supply six attack helicopters, halting the award of a 1.2 billion pesos ($29.6-million U.S.) contract, a defence official said on Wednesday.
Undersecretary Ariston delos Reyes, a retired navy admiral, told Reuters that Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro had given him until Jan. 21 to probe the allegations.
“We were ordered to look into complaints that certain rules in the bidding procedures were ignored to favour one bidder over the others,” Mr. delos Reyes said, adding his panel has yet to start interviewing officials.
Asian Aerospace Corp., a local partner of Boeing Co.'s McDonnell Douglas, won the bidding with an offer to sell MG530F attack helicopters to the military.
Another defence official, who declined to be identified, told Reuters the inquiry was ordered after Polish state-owned aircraft manufacturer, PZL-Swidnik S.A., wrote to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Dec. 8 complaining about the bidding procedures.
Poland was offering to supply the Philippine Air Force its advanced version of the Russian-made Mi2 Plus attack helicopters, known as Kania (Kitty Hawk), a NATO-certified aircraft.
A third bidder, Italy's Agusta-Westland was disqualified because it could not guarantee to deliver the aircraft within a 12-month period.
In September, 2007, Manila opened the bidding as part of its plan to acquire new helicopters and step up efforts to defeat communist rebels and Islamic militants.
Last year, Ms. Arroyo gave the military 7 billion pesos to upgrade its fleet of Vietnam-era helicopters, part of a long-term 210 billion-peso modernization plan to catch up with better-equipped neighbours in Southeast Asia
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Reuters January 9, 2008 at 6:15 AM EST
Article Link
MANILA — The Philippines has ordered an inquiry into allegations of bid-rigging in a tender to supply six attack helicopters, halting the award of a 1.2 billion pesos ($29.6-million U.S.) contract, a defence official said on Wednesday.
Undersecretary Ariston delos Reyes, a retired navy admiral, told Reuters that Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro had given him until Jan. 21 to probe the allegations.
“We were ordered to look into complaints that certain rules in the bidding procedures were ignored to favour one bidder over the others,” Mr. delos Reyes said, adding his panel has yet to start interviewing officials.
Asian Aerospace Corp., a local partner of Boeing Co.'s McDonnell Douglas, won the bidding with an offer to sell MG530F attack helicopters to the military.
Another defence official, who declined to be identified, told Reuters the inquiry was ordered after Polish state-owned aircraft manufacturer, PZL-Swidnik S.A., wrote to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Dec. 8 complaining about the bidding procedures.
Poland was offering to supply the Philippine Air Force its advanced version of the Russian-made Mi2 Plus attack helicopters, known as Kania (Kitty Hawk), a NATO-certified aircraft.
A third bidder, Italy's Agusta-Westland was disqualified because it could not guarantee to deliver the aircraft within a 12-month period.
In September, 2007, Manila opened the bidding as part of its plan to acquire new helicopters and step up efforts to defeat communist rebels and Islamic militants.
Last year, Ms. Arroyo gave the military 7 billion pesos to upgrade its fleet of Vietnam-era helicopters, part of a long-term 210 billion-peso modernization plan to catch up with better-equipped neighbours in Southeast Asia
More on link
