Comelec postpones pre-bid conference for P18.82-B poll automation

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MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday said it postponed the pre-bidding conference for the P18.82-billion lease contract for the fully automated elections system to be used in the 2025 national and local elections.

“Please be informed that the Pre-Bid Conference for Lease of Full Automation System with Transparency Audit/Count (FASTrAC) scheduled today, November 6, 2023, has been moved to November 13,” the Comelec said in an advisory.

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Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco explained that the pre-bidding was postponed due to the issuance of Bid Bulletin No. 1 by the Special Bids and Awards Committee on the Automated Elections System for the 2025 National and Local Elections “clarifying matters and answering initial queries from prospective bidders.”

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The Comelec announced the pre-bidding for the new elections system on October 29, with an approved budget of P18,827,730,000.22 for the contract.

As previously stated by the poll body, the FASTrAC is an upgraded optical mark reader (OR) paper-based automated elections system with Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) capabilities.

It will feature Automated Counting Machine (ACMI), which is intended to replace more than 90,000 Vote Counting Machines (VCM) used in the 2016, 2019, and 2022 elections.