Pangandaman: Digitalization, innovation at the heart of new Government Procurement Reform Act

Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Mina F. Pangandaman has expressed the belief that digitalization and innovation, which are at the heart of House Bill 9648 or the proposed new Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA), will address gaps in the system of purchasing goods and services.

“Towards efficiency, we will streamline processes through digitalization and innovation by adopting electronic (e)-bidding and by modernizing the centralized procurement system of the Procurement Service (PS)-DBM,” said Sec.

Mina.  

President Ferdinand R.

Marcos Jr. has earlier urged the legislative branch to enact a new government procurement law and a new government auditing code to make procurement and auditing “more attuned to these changing times.”

The proposed new GPRA aims to promote transparency, competitiveness, efficiency, proportionality, accountability, public monitoring, procurement professionalization, and sustainability in government procurement.

 

“The Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) offers innovative features and solutions, including e-reverse auction, e-shopping/e-small-value procurement, and the e-marketplace which will be expanded to include non-common-use supplies with a registration facility for qualified suppliers,” Sec. Mina added.

Section 6 (Adoption of an Electronic Procurement System) of the new GPRA says PhilGEPS shall be “the single electronic portal that shall serve as the primary channel and source of information in the conduct of all procurement activities by the government for the acquisition of goods, infrastructure projects, and consulting services that covers procurement planning until payment.”

All government procuring entities are required to register with PhilGEPS for the purchase of common-use supplies and equipment (CSEs) and utilize its additional innovative features and solutions in accordance with the rules and procedures issued by the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB).

These innovative features include the following:

Electronic Bulletin Board for posting procurement opportunities, notices, awards, and reasons for awarding;

Registry of Manufacturers, Suppliers, Distributors, Contractors and