All-Terrain Vehicle Acquisition Project of the Philippine Army

The Philippine Army (PA) has finally confirmed a requirement for a fleet of fifteen (15) All-Terrain Vehicles to be used by a still unconfirmed unit of the said service branch.

The project was among those approved for implementation under the Philippine Army's Horzion 2 phase as part of the Revised AFP Modernization Program.

No definite explanation was gathered by MaxDefense on the actual purpose of these vehicles, but it is obvious that it would be for the improvement of tactical mobility of security forces.

A Polaris Defense MRZR D4 all-terrain vehicle of the Presidential Security Group - Special Reaction Unit (PSG-SRU) as part of the security measures during APEC 2017 Summit in Manila. Photo from the original Philippine Armed Forces Images and Videos FB page.

The Philippine Army is not new on operating All-Terrain Vehicles. Currently, it has a fleet of smaller ATVs. MaxDefense was able to identify one of those in service as the Kawasaki Teryx, although it appears that the Philippine Army may have acquired additional units of small ATVs in the last 2 years.

This current requirement calls for larger ATVs than the Teryx, which could be on the same league as the Polaris Defense MRZR D4, or even larger.


MaxDefense believes that the probable recipient of the vehicles could be the Light Reaction Regiment (LRR) which is now part of the AFP Special Operations Command (AFPSOCOM), or the newly formed 1st Brigade Combat Team (1BCT) which may include special units embedded to the brigade.

Project Summary:

All-Terrain Vehicle Acquisition Project

Note: Edited as of 22 June 2019:

* End User: Philippine Army (unspecified units)

* Quantity: 15 unts

* Modernization Phase: Horizon 2 Phase of RAFPMP

* Project ABC: Php31,905,000.00

* Acquisition Mode: Public Bidding

* Source of Funding: GAA Funding through AFP Modernization Trust Fund

* SARO Release: TBA

* Winning Proponent: Joint Venture of Scan Marine Inc. and Aces Marine & LInks Industrial Corp.

* Produce for Delivery: Can-Am Commander Max
* Contract Price: Php31,720,200.00 

* First post by MaxDefense: 27 May 2017

* Searching Hashtag: #PAATVAcquisition

* Status: Notice of Award released in favor of the joint venture of Scan Marine Inc. and Aces Marine & Links Industrial Corp. 

Technical Specifications:

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U P D A T E S:
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26 May 2017:

MaxDefense released a blog entry on the Armed Forces of the Philippines' fleet of newly acquired special vehicles, including the All-Terrain Vehicles that it was using.

Among those featured were the Philippine Army's Kawasaki Teryx 4x4 ATV (see photo below), and the Presidential Security Group's Polaris Defense MRZR D4.

MaxDefense believes that the Kawasaki Teryx were previously used by Specops units of the US military, and were handed-over to the Philippine Army for their own use. Meanwhile the Polaris Defense MRZR D4 appears to be acquired brand new by the PSG, and is in service in limited numbers by the Special Reaction Unit.

The Kawasaki Teryx ATV used by the Light Reaction Regiment, then part of the Philippine Army's Special Operations Command during a capability demonstration in 2016. Photo taken from the original Philippine Armed Forces Images and Videos FB page.

The blog can be accessed on the link below:

"Featuring Some of the New Special Vehicles in the Armed Forces of the Philippines" - first posted on 26 May 2017.

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21 March 2019:

MaxDefense posted several photos of what were being displayed by the Philippine Army as part of their 122nd Founding Anniversary. Among those displayed was the Polaris Defense MRZR D4 all-terrain vehicle, which is already in service with the Presidential Security Group (PSG), which is under the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

While MaxDefense was not able to obtain an actual photo of the Polaris MRZR D4 on display, there are photos that support its presence during the anniversary display.

A promotional tarpaulin from Polaris Defense can be seen on the background (see encircled) together with what appears to be part of an MRZR D4 all-terrain vehicle.
Photo exclusively shared to MaxDefense by one of our contributors. 

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04 April 2019:

The Department of National Defense (DND) has finally released an Invitation to Bid (ITB) for the All-Terrain Vehicle acquisition project of the Philippine Army.

The ITB, dated 04 April 2019, confirms our previous posts on the budget allocated and quantity required for ATVs as part of the Horizon 2 phase of the Revised AFP Modernization Program.

As indicated, the ABC is Php31,905,000.00 for fifteen (15) vehicles. That's an average of Php2,127,000.00 (around US$40,900) each vehicle. Based on available online sources, the said price is just a little over the quoted price of a brand new Polaris Defense MRZR D4 vehicle, which is said to be around US$35,000 each.

A Pre-Bid Conference is scheduled on 11 April 2019, while the the Submission deadline and Bid Opening of Bids will be made on 25 April 2019.

Delivery of the vehicles shall be made at 1 time, and within 120 days from receiving the Notice to Proceed (NTP) of the project.

A copy of the ITB as posted on PhilGEPS as of 04 April 2019. 

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08 June 2019:

It appears that the previous bidding for the project that was suppose to close last 25 April 2019 had failed.

A new rebidding has emerged, with a new bid closing date now scheduled on 25 June 2019. A Pre-Bid Conference was also re-scheduled to 11 June 2019 for possible bidders to clarify issues on the submissions.

No indication of changes was evident on the Bid Requirements, including the project's Technical Specifications, budget and quantity requirements.

A snippet of the Supplemental Bid Bulletin released on 28 May 2019 showing the new bid opening schedule. The document number also has indication that the project is a re-bid.
Photo taken from DND document.

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22 June 2019:

New Supplemental Bid Bulletin was released by the DND dated 17 June 2019 to reflect changes in the bid requirements.

While the changes were mostly on procurement and legal concerns, the delivery was adjusted from 120 days from release of Notice to Proceed, to 180 days.

So far no changes on technical requirements.

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02 October 2019:
The Department of National Defense (DND) has finally released the Notice of Award (NOA) for the All-Terrain Vehicle Acquisition Project last 25 September 2019, to the Joint Venture of Scan Marine Inc. and Aces Marine & Links Industrial Corporation.

The bid amount is Php31,720,200.00 which is just less than Php200,000 difference from the Approved Budget of Contract.

Cropped from the NOA issued by the DND.

Scan Marine Inc. is actually the official local distributor of Can-Am all-terrain vehicles. While it was not confirmed what model from the Can-Am line-up Scan Marine is offering, MaxDefense believes it would be the Can-Am Commander Max, which is available with seats for 4 people including the driver.

This is surprising considering the AFP is already a user of the Polaris MRZR SSV, which was expected to win the tender. But since this is a public bidding, it was highly expected that a different model can potentially win the project. And here is already an example.

The Can-Am Commander Max. Photo taken PowerSports ATV website.

Deliveries are expected to happen within 180 days from Notice to Proceed (NTP), which could be delivered before May 2019.

All we have to do now is just monitor the delivery of these ATVs to the Philippine Army. 

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First edit and release: 22 June 2019
Copyright MaxDefense Philippines