THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is aiming to award three contracts worth a total of P766 million under its national data center project by the third quarter.
The bid submission and contract signing for the project are slated for the first and third quarters, as per the department’s procurement plan for the year.
The DICT is allocating a total of P766 million for the project, of which P192 million is set aside for the data center colocation. The contract is scheduled to be awarded by the third quarter of the year.
About P546 million is earmarked for the procurement of subscription, maintenance, and support services for the existing public multi-cloud infrastructure, which is targeted to be awarded by March.
Additionally, a total of P28 million is allocated for the lease of space and racks for the government data center.
The DICT has a total allocation of P6.91 billion under the General Appropriations Act of 2024.
The Philippines’ national government data center project will focus on the planning, designing, development, implementation, and integration of secure data infrastructure.
For the year, the DICT is targeting to launch the operations of at least two data centers.
The DICT will be the lead agency for the development of the data center in line with the government’s e-governance goal of digitizing the bureaucracy.
The department is also aiming to award five contracts totaling P941.85 million under the national broadband program within the first quarter.
The national broadband plan is the department’s framework for accelerating the deployment of fiber optic cable and wireless technology to improve internet speed.
The DICT also plans to establish up to 2,800 kilometers of dark fiber reaching parts of Mindanao by December 2024, which it said will ensure cost-effective internet connectivity for both national government agencies and local government units. — Ashley Erika O. Jose