The Philippine Army has raised a requirement for the acquisition of a few Armored Backhoe Loader / Excavator vehicles, and has opened up a public bidding for the supply of these combat engineering equipment.
This project was included under the Combat Engineering Equipment Acquisition Project of the Philippine Army that was approved in-principle by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in June 2018.
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| The JCB HMEE, an example of an armored backhoe loader / excavator that is currently in use by the US Armed Forces and other countries. Photo credits to JCB and used for reference only. |
Project Summary:
Combat Engineering Equipment Lot 8 - Armored Backhoe Loader/Excavator Acquisition Project:
Note: Edited as of 28 June 2024.
* End User: Philippine Army (Combat Engineering units)
* Quantity: 6 units
* Modernization Phase: 2nd List of Horizon 2 Phase of RAFPMP
* Project ABC: Php480,000,000.00
* Acquisition Mode: Public Bidding, changed to Negotiated Procurement (Government-to-Government with Turkey)
* Source of Funding: TBC
* SARO Release/s:
- SARO-BMB-D-24-0004908 dated 28 June 2024, worth Php167,965,000 - Potentially initial payment worth 35% of contract amount.
* Winning Proponent: Cukurova Makine Imalat Ve Tickaret Anonim Sikreti - Safer PH Innovations Inc. Joint Venture
* Product for Delivery: Cukurova Defense 4X4X4 armored backhoe loader
* Contract Price: Php479,900,000.00
* Residual Amount: Php100,000.00
* First post by MaxDefense: 24 June 2022 (this post)
* MaxDefense Searching Hashtag: #PACEEABLEAcquisition
* Status: The DND published a requirement for Armored Backhoe Loader / Excavator on 20 June 2022. SOBE was scheduled on 03 August 2022. This is totally new project not previously covered by the Combat Engineering Equipment Acquisition Program that was approved on June 2018. 1st bidding attempt failed in 2022, with the DND changing the procurement process to Negotiated Procurement (G2G) with Turkey. PQI with Cukurova Makina was conducted on 19-26 October 2022, and a Notice of Award was released on 29 December 2022. No update as of 04 February 2024 if the Contract has been signed and Notice to Proceed released, although it is believed that this have happened in 2023 without an update being made on PhilGEPS or any other public website.
Overview:
The Philippine Army has added a requirement for Armored Backhoe Loader / Excavator, which was previously called the High Mobiity Emplacement Excavator based on 2018 documents, and was included as part of the Combat Engineering Equipment Acquisition Project which was raised as part of the Horizon 2 phase.
An armored backhoe loader / excavator are useful in combat engineering missions for different purposes including clearing roads and areas, assisting in construction work, or creating obstacles to slow down an attacking enemy.
It can also be used for peacetime purposes including humanitarian and disaster relief operations despite having an armored cabin.
Based on the posted price of US Army's 2020 order for JCB HMEE armored backhoes of $269 million for 400 units, even with higher margins and inflation included, it is possible that the Philippine Army may have allocated the Php480 million budget for at least 12 units. But it is yet to be confirmed if the Philippine Army's previous request for 4 units with a Php480 million budget still holds.
There are only a few such products globally at the moment, with British equipment manufacturer JCB's High Mobility Engineering Excavator (HMEE) being the most famous, and used by western militaries including the US Armed Forces.
A company from Turkey, Cukurova Defence, is also offering an armored backhoe which could be cheaper than the JCB. With Turkey becoming a major arms supplier for the Philippines, this could be a potential one as well.
The initial public bidding process was posted on 20 June 2022, with the submission set on 13 July 2022.
The total quantities would be confirmed once more information has been received by our page, or by our parent page MaxDefense Philippines.
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| The rear of the JCB HMEE armored backhoe. Photo credits to Southwest JCB. |
Technical Specifications:
Based on the Bid Documents Technical Specifications, the Armored Backhoe Loader/Excavator should have the following:
* Operating Weight: 14,000kg to 20,000kg;
* Engine: Turbocharged Diesel Direct Injection, Air Cooling, at least 200hp (149kw) gross power;
* Loader: 4-in-1 multi-bucket, with 0.70m3 volume capacity, with 2,040kg lift capacity, a shovel breakout of at least 3,565kgf, and a loader breakout of at least 2,300kgf.
* Backhoe: hydraulic center pivot, with bucket capacity of at least 0.06cbm, and a digging depth of at least 3.94 meters.
* Cab: ROPS/FOPS approved to ISO3471 & ISO3449 or other similar internationally-accepted protective standard rating, air conditioned, can fit to C-130 with minimum modifications, adjustable operator's seat with ergonomically-positioned controls, applique armor, ballistic glazing or ballistic protected glass, protection against armor piercing infantry rifle rounds.
The vehicles should also have the following armor and safety features:
* floor/belly protection against blast effect of land mines;
* internal spall liner;
The vehicles should also have provision for communications, electronic countermeasures, night vision, and thermal imaging systems.
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24 June 2022:
The Department of National Defense (DND) posted a new public bidding notice for the tender to acquire Armored Backhoe Loader/Excavator vehicles as part of its the Philippine Army's Combat Engineering Equipment Acquisition Project.
More details will be confirmed as the tender documents are yet to be made available.
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| The Cukurova Defence 4X4X4 Armored Fast Backhoe Loader from Turkey. Photo credits to Cukurova Defence. |
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07 March 2023:
As per the Procurement Monitoring Report from the Department of National Defense (DND) Bids and Awards Committee-2 confirmed that a Notice of Award has already been released for this project as of 29 December 2022.
No information is available yet on which company won the project.
The report also confirmed that a Post Bid Qualification was held between 20 to 26 October 2022 to check if the leading tender complies with the requirements of the project.
The project's cost is Php479,900,000.00, or only Php100,000.00 less than the project's ABC.
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13 March 2023:
MaxDefense Philippines obtained documents confirming that Cukurova Makina Imalat Ve Tickaret Anonim Sikreti - Safer PH Innovations Inc. Joint Venture bagged the project.
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| The Notice of Award for the project given to Safer PH Innovations Inc - Cukurova Makina JV. Photo from DND. |
This means the Philippine Army will be receiving the Cukurova Defense 4X4X4 armored fast backhoe loader for this project.
This would be Cukurova Defense's first ever contract in the Philippines, and this could establish their foothold in the country considering more armored backhoe loaders might be required in the future, and Cukurova has been active in providing technical support and joint venture with another Filipino company, Anos Research Manufacturing, in developing a Light Armored Tactical Vehicle that uses Cukurova Defense's technology.
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28 June 2024:
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released a SARO earlier today worth Php167,965,000.00.
Considering that there was no SARO released in 2023 for this project, it is highly possible that this would be the first MYOA payment for the project, and is worth 35% of the contract cost.
This means that the project is delayed since the payment was suppose to have been released in mid-2023.
It remains though if the winning supplier can reduce its delivery time to assist the Philippine Army.
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| Screenshot from DBM SARO 2024. |
First edit and release: 24 June 2022
Copyright MaxDefense Philippines / Philippine Defense Resource
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