Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman and Procurement Service (PS)-DBM Executive Director Dennis Santiago announced a soon-to-be-launched platform dubbed “eMarketplace” — which is part of the proposed amendments to Republic Act (RA) 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA).
Secretary Pangandaman recalled that RA 9184, signed into law 20 years ago, was envisioned to address the lack of transparency and competition, eliminate collusion and political interference, and lessen delays in the procurement process.
“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. However, there has been a rapid transformation in technology over the 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,” said Pangandaman.
eMarketplace
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is said to be very keen on the concept of eMarketplace, which Santiago described as similar to online shopping sites Lazada and Shopee.
“During the pandemic, you have the liberty to purchase [a product] directly from the source, naging 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.”
“But of course, mayroon pong mechanisms kaming gagawin para po ’yung produkto na ilalagay duon ay maganda, maayos at kapaki-pakinabang. Tatrabahuhin namin na ‘yung papasok na produkto roon ay maayos at mapapakinabangan ng government offices natin,” said Santiago.
The eMarketplace — which aims to do away with the long, tedious procurement process that has caused delays in the government’s delivery of products and services — will still require suppliers to comply with identified legal, technical and financial requirements to be able to include their offered goods in the system.
Pangandaman cited the crucial effect of procurement in ordinary life.
“Procurement affects us every day, not just us the government, but the Filipino people. Procurement issues have an adverse impact on public service delivery. We have also been hounded by controversies linked to the Philippine procurement system. Of our total national government budget, up to 25 percent is done via procurement. So, this year, it’s roughly P1.3 trillion. It’s a huge amount,” said Pangandaman.
Santiago noted the government’s indispensable role in procurement.
“The biggest purchaser [of goods and services] is the government, and 18 to 22 percent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is government procurement,” said Santiago. Department of Budget and Management
