MANILA -- With a bid amount of P112 million, the joint venture of SMS  Global Technologies, Inc. and Sequent Tech, Inc. bested three other bidders for the Online Voting and Counting System (OVCS) contract of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Under this component of the 2025 midterm polls, overseas Filipino voters will primarily vote via the Internet. The poll body allotted P465.8 million for the project which is way higher than what the joint venture offered.

According to Comelec Spokesperson and Special Bids and Awards Committee Vice Chair Atty. John Rex Laudiangco, SMS Global Technologies is a Filipino Company, “whose projects include the Secure Online Services Cloud for the National ID, under the Philippine Statistics Authority.”

The joint venture of Voatz, Inc., ePLDT, Inc., and eBiZolution, Inc. was also found compliant with eligibility requirements and its financial bid, but its contract price was P435.5 million.

Another bidder, Indra Soluciones Technologias de la Infomation, SLU was declared eligible but disqualified later on due to non-compliant financial documents.

The joint venture of AMA Group-Dasan-Kevoting did not pass the first test which was the eligibility phase.

Through the post-qualification evaluation, Comelec will further study the documents of the joint venture of SMS Global Technologies as well as its past and present projects.

If the joint venture of SMS Global Technologies fails to meet the requirements, Comelec will evaluate the joint venture of Voatz, Inc.

The poll body hopes to award the contract this month.

Comelec urged to address alleged 2022 electoral fraud