Comelec: Joint venture winner of online voting contract offered best bid

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday defended its awarding of the Online Voting and Counting System (OVCS) for overseas voters in the 2025 polls to a joint venture of SMS Global and Sequent Tech Inc., saying the bid passed all eligibility requirements set by the poll body at a relatively low cost.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia made the remarks on the SMS Global-Sequent joint venture (JV) bid after House Assistant Minority Leader and Gabriela party-list Representative Arlene Brosas questioned the Comelec's decision to pick the JV. Its contract bid was P112 million, or less than one-fourth of the P465 million contract price set by the Comelec.

"We had apprehensions at first because their offer [for the bidding] was really low when the other firm which joined the bidding was at P445 million which is more or less, just a P20-million difference from our Approved Budget of Contract. But they were able to explain why. And upon review of our Special Bidding Awards Committee of their offer... it was open source and therefore, more transparent. And since they are cloud-based at the same time, they have a data center which we can verify if the votes are really transmitted," Garcia said.

"It is the result of our bidding process. So long as they are able to prequalify, they are able to post-qualify, and they are able to explain themselves... under the Republic Act 9184 which is the [Government] Procurement [Reform] Act, we will have to issue the award in favor of this winning bidder," Garcia added.

Garcia said that by November, the SMS Global-Sequent joint venture will still undergo an international certification process and a source code review covering the automated counting machines, the internet voting, and transmission.

"After the source code review, we'll see if their equipment, systems are up to standards. And if there is a need for a remedy for the equipment, the P300 million that we saved [from their lower bidding price] can be used,” Garcia said.

For now, Garcia said the poll body has enough grounds to presume regularity in SMS Global-Sequent joint venture operations.

"Until today po, your Honor, wala pong nag-file ng questions sa Supreme Court questioning the award. Wala pong complaint," Garcia added.

(Not a single party has questioned our awarding of the contract to the joint venture so far. Not a single complaint.)

Garcia also said that Sequent has already settled its previously unpaid tax dues in the state of Delaware, United States of America.

"We have a latest certification, latest from the Delaware State, na wala na po silang utang. Zero na po 'yung utang ng Sequent," Garcia said.

(We have a latest certification, latest from the Delaware State, that Sequent does not have any payables. Sequent does not have any payables now.)

Brosas asked for the copy of the certification, which Garcia readily provided.

Last April, the Comelec said the joint venture had the lowest offer among the four parties which participated in the second round of bidding, namely Indra Soluciones Technologias De La Information, the joint venture of Voaltz, Inc., ePLDT and eBiZolution Inc., and the joint venture of AMA Group, Dasan, and Kevoting.

The Comelec will be holding the first-ever internet voting during the 2025 national and local elections for Filipinos who are abroad.

Garcia earlier said that voting will be conducted in 75 countries for the midterm polls in 2025, but voters should re-register. — VDV, GMA Integrated News