I hope the Phil. Army and the PITC have a valid justification for this appparent overprice as reported. Fortunately it is not yet a consummated crime. The Philippine Army and the state-controlled Philippine International Trading Corp. have set a generous price ceiling of P2,400 for every pair of combat boots that the agencies intend to purchase through competitive bidding. The two agencies have already invited bidders to supply and deliver an initial 10,012 pairs of brand-new boots, combat, lightweight for the Philippine Army for a contract price of P24,067,246.08, which works out to exactly P2,403.84 a pair. The government estimate is nearly three times the cost of a similarly-specced, made-in-the-Philippines combat boots by Alex Shoes, for instance, which retails online for P850 for its top-of-the-line model. A cheaper model, for the foot soldiers, without side zipper and steel-toed cap but still stitched with cow leather and water-resistant canvas top with heavy-duty rubber sole, can be had for only P775 a pair. The government pricing also exhibits similarly wide latitude compared with a US-import military jungle boots that retails in the Amazon website for $35, or about P1,540 a pair. A dedicated US military boots superstore, MilitaryBoots, even offers the same range of boots at even lower prices from $28.49 to $32.49, with free shipping within continental United States for orders above $99. The current US prices are puzzlingly still cheaper, after factoring in nearly a decade of inflation, than the 2004 Philippine Army pricing when the defense department, then under Avelino Cruz, and the budget office, under Emilia Boncodin, awarded a contract for military boots at P1,047 a pair. A pre-bid conference for the latest Army contract has been scheduled for November 13. The PITC, which replaced the budget departments procurement service for large-scale government purchases, is headed by USAID-trained Maria Lourdes Baua as president. Report from: Interaksyon with Bobon Hunk and Arsenio Carlos.
Posted on: Tue, 05 Nov 2013 05:25:02 +0000
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