It is remarkable that President Bong Bong Marcos has urged lawmakers during his previous State of the Nation Address (SONA) for the new and better government procurement law and auditing code.
"I urge Congress to enact a new government procurement law and a new government auditing code, to make government procurement and auditing more attuned to these changing times," Marcos Jr. said.
Republic Act 9184 or Government Procurement Reform Act was enacted to promote the transparency, competitiveness, equal opportunity for qualitied entities, accountability and public monitoring of procurement process as its governing principles.
Thus, procurement of goods, services, and infrastructure shall be procure through public competitive bidding through the Procuring entity's Bids and Awards Committee.
Section 4 of RA 9184 states, "This Act shall apply to the procurement of Infrastructure Projects, Goods, and Consulting Services, regardless of source of funds, whether local or foreign, by all branches and instrumentalities of government, its departments, offices and agencies, including government- owned and/ or controlled corporations and local government units, subject to the provisions of Commonwealth Act No. 138. Any treaty or international or executive agreement affecting the subject matter of this Act to which the Philippines Government is a signatory shall be observed".
Going digital
With regards, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah F. Pangandanan and Procurement Service Executive Director Dennis Santiago announced that the government is in the process of developing "eMarketplace", it is going to be part on the amendment of RA 9184.
Presidential Communication Office (PCO) wrote in their official facebook page, "The government will soon have its own Shopee/ Lazada- style online platform on which agencies may directly procure supplies and equipment from competent and reputable suppliers".
This tend to ease the procurement process, however, interested bidders still required to submit eligibility/ legal, technical and financial requirements.
"The GPRA was one of the biggest anti-corruption laws in the country, which was, in fact, recognized by no less than the World Bank as a world- class legislation," said Pangandaman.
Rapid transformation
However, there has been a rapid transformation in technology over he past two decades, and the pandemic propelled the urgency for digital transactions in the country. That's why our President is correct that we need to make government procurement more attuned to our changing times, added Pangandaman.
Santiago, on the other hand, said that during the pandemic, everyone has the liberty to purchase directly form the source. "[N]aging platform po si Shopee o si Lazada. So tayo rin po, ganun ang mangyayari. Ang PhilGEPS (Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System) may eMarketPlace feature, maglalagay po ng produkto ruon ang isang supplier."
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