The Commission on Elections announced on Thursday its first failure of competitive bidding after the lone bidder, Miru Systems, Co., Ltd., was declared ineligible to be the official service provider for the 2025 automated elections.

Earlier, the lone Korean bidder had submitted its documents to the Comelec for the 2025 automated polls.

According to the Comelec, after a thorough examination by the Special Bids and Awards Committee or SBAC of the documents submitted by the joint venture of Miru Systems Co., Ltd., St. Timothy Construction Corporation and Centerpoint Solutions Technology, Inc., the bidder was declared ineligible due to failure to comply with the requirements stated in the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Republic Act No. 9184, also known as the Government Procurement Reform Act.

The grounds for disqualification include inadequate translation into English of documents supporting the Statement of Single Largest Completed Contract as required under Section 23.2 of the Revised IRR of R.A No. 9184.

Another ground for its ineligibility is the incomplete undertaking to enter into a Joint Venture agreement, wherein only "jointly" was written instead of the required "jointly and severally liable" as stipulated in Section 23.4.1.1 of the Revised IRR of R.A No. 9184. This section includes the provision: "Finally, it bears stressing that the participating entities entering into a JVA are to be treated as a single bidder and will be held jointly and severally responsible or liable for the obligations of said JV."

Following the bidding, the SBAC conducted a mandatory review of this procurement project, which is necessary before commencing the second cycle of competitive public bidding.

Due to the ineligibility of the Miru joint venture, as well as its status as the lone bidder, the SBAC-AES declared its first failure of competitive bidding