Marcos signs laws on procurement reform, anti-financial scams

MANILA, Philippines — Two days before his third State of the Nation Address, President Marcos signed into law measures that seek to address loopholes in the government’s procurement system and to protect consumers from financial cybercrimes.

“We have just signed into law two new bills that will move us closer to attaining a strong, more responsive and efficient bureaucracy and to establishing safeguards for the financial rights and welfare of every Filipino,” President Marcos said during the signing ceremony yesterday at Malacañang.

The New Government Procurement Act (NGPA) or Republic Act (RA) 12009 aims to plug loopholes in the government procurement system, prevent wastage and ensure better services by curbing unlawful practices and eliminating opportunities for corruption.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman welcomed the reforms to the decades-old Government Procurement Reform Act or RA 9184, which she describes as a “transformative reform” that will modernize and augment public procurement processes by addressing existing loopholes and inefficiencies.

Pangandaman said the procurement reform will “enhance the implementation of projects and the procurement of goods and supplies, ensuring better public service delivery for the Filipino people.”

RA 12009 cuts the period of action on procurement from 90 days to 60 days from the opening of bids to the awarding of the contract. It also standardizes procurement forms and institutionalizes electronic procurement.

The law also provides for 11 modalities of procurement, offering “greater flexibility” in acquiring the best goods and services.

The new procurement modes are competitive bidding, limited source bidding, competitive dialogue, unsolicited offer with bid matching, direct contracting, direct acquisition, repeat order, small value procurement, negotiated procurement, direct sales and direct procurement for science, technology and innovation.

The President noted that the updated procurement law introduces a concept called “most economically advantageous responsive bid,” which he described as an attempt to consider the best quantitative and qualitative economic value of any proposal as an alternative practice