The Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) has suspended the procurement of non-common use supplies and equipment (Non-CSE) for government agencies.
In a statement on Tuesday, Aug. 16, Dennis Santiago, PS-DBM executive director, announced the indefinite suspension on the procurement of Non-CSE.
Santiago did not divulge the reasons behind the suspension order.
“I issued a directive suspending the procurement of non-common use supplies and equipment, effective immediately,” Santiago said.
This means that PS-DBM will not accept requests for Non-CSE procurement until further notice, he added.
“During the suspension, the PS-DBM shall not accept new requests for Non-CSE procurement until further notice. This will allow us to focus on the fulfillment of our primary mandate, which is to procure CSEs,” Santiago stressed.
He, however, clarified that ongoing non-CSE procurement, including items that are already in the pipeline, will be processed and completed by the PS-DBM.
“After that, all procurement will only focus on CSE,” Santiago said.
The PS-DBM is the centralized procurement of CSE for the whole of government.
CSEs include the procurement of items essential to the day-to-day operations of government agencies such as, but not limited to, ballpens, papers, stapler, paper clips, folders, and the like.
Earlier, the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged the PS-DBM's procurement of 39,583 laptops for the Department of Education (DepEd).
DepEd already provided necessary documentary requirements in response to the COA audit, particularly on the P2.4-billion worth of allegedly "pricey yet outdated" laptops for public school teachers.
PS-DBM also turned over to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) documents related to the controversial DepEd laptops.