Judge grants GTA's restraining order

by Mindy Aguon

Guam - Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Barrett Andersen granted a temporary restraining order in GTA TeleGuam's protest of a phone services bid that was awarded to Pacific DataSystems.  An invitation to bid was awarded to PDS for a digital phone service system for the Guam Census Bureau offices.  GTA argues that the bid specifications were changed as they contend PDS is only providing analog phone services. 

Not wanting to interrupt the current operations of the census, GTA asked that the court enjoin the Government of Guam from any further action on the purchase order rather than pulling phones out of the census. GTA Executive Vice-President of External Affairs Dan Tydingco said, "We're trying to impress upon and impart here is there's a need for the procurement laws to be followed and the procurement procedures and processes to be followed. If you put out specs and you have a company come in and bid on those specs but then you change those specs midstream, there's something wrong with that the whole integrity of the procurement process for the government is at risk."

The judge said she understands the seriousness of the census but believes a full review of the procurement of the phones is necessary. The case has been assigned to Superior Court Judge Michael Bordallo.