The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) wants to bring back the “good name” of its procurement service unit, which has been repeatedly embroiled in fund controversies.
Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said her administration would work in fostering hard work, integrity, and service to the people in the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM).
Pangandaman also committed to work with PS-DBM Executive Director Dennis Santiago in attaining her goal for the agency.
“As you may know, I’ve always expressed my full support for the PS-DBM,” Pangandaman said. “I still believe in the potential of PS-DBM to deliver on its objective to save the government billions of pesos through bulk procurement and market price monitoring and validation.”
Pangandaman also revealed that during the leadership of then Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno, the government generated P18 billion savings through PS-DBM’s bulk procurement.
“In this light, I am determined to bring back the good name of PS-DBM and I know that with Ed Dennis Santiago and all of you here, we can achieve this,” Pangandaman said.
“In fact, ED Santiago and I met with World Bank Country Director Ndiame Diop last week to discuss technical assistance in this aspect. I am certain we will have systems in place soon for PS-DBM that not only we but the whole country can be proud of,” she added.
During her recent meeting with World Bank officials, the budget chief discussed prospective collaboration and partnership to initiate and implement reforms in the Philippine government’s procurement law.
Pangandaman further underscored, in the same World Bank meeting, the government’s agenda to maximize the use of digitalization in ensuring transparency and generating savings on the public procurement process and indicated timely reforms in government procurement process.
By virtue of Letter of Instructions No. 755 dated October 18, 1978, PS-DBM was established as an integrated procurement system for the national government and its instrumentalities.
The agency is mandated to serve as the central procurement arm for the common use of government supplies. Its creation is consistent with the adoption of a procurement policy of economic and efficient manner of purchasing government materials.
The PS-DBM is a centralized purchasing unit of the national government, but it has been embroiled in controversies before, which include the multibillion-peso transactions with pharmaceutical company and alleged mismanagement of Covid-19 response funds.