Comelec awards iOne, Ardent Networks the transmission deal for 2025 polls

Commission on Elections. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday announced that it issued a notice of award to a joint venture of iOne Resources, Inc. and Ardent Networks, Inc. for the provision of Secure Electronic Transmission Services (SETs) in the 2025 elections.

According to the poll body in a statement, the notice of award was issued after the Comelec en banc approved the recommendation by its Special Bids and Awards Committee-Automated Election System (SBAC-AES) to award the deal to iOne Resources, Inc. and Ardent Networks, Inc.

The Comelec said the two companies submitted their bids for the project on February 29, 2024.

READ: Smartmatic PH banned from ‘all Comelec procurement’

Post-Qualification status

Following a rigorous post-qualification evaluation process, the technical working group (TWG) recommended the joint venture for Post-Qualification status, with the SBAC-AES authorizing the decision and declaring them as the bidder with the lowest calculated and responsive bid at P1,426,000,348.

“Thus, the Notice of Award, which will be made public later, was decided to be issued by the Commission En Banc based on the recommendations made by the TWG and the SBAC-AES,” said Comelec in a statement.

The said joint venture effectively replaces Smartmatic, which won the said contract in the 2022 elections.

Comelec on November 29, 2023 disqualified Smartmatic from bidding on all of its procurement processes amid its alleged involvement in the money-laundering and bribery charges against former poll body chief Andres Bautista.