The various measures pending in the Senate that seek to review Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA) are all aimed at building on the laws strengths and addressing the weaknesses in the landmark law, Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said on Sunday, October 29.

The senator stressed this point as the Senate Committee on Finance, which he chairs, starts tackling the different bills related to the government procurement and bidding processes. 

Senators who have filed such measure include Senators Pia Cayetano, Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, Francis Tolentino and Risa Hontiveros. 

Angara has also filed his own Senate Bill No. 2466 seeking to revise the GPRA to make it more responsive and relevant to the present times.

“The GPRA remains a good law but after two decades, a lot has changed— the entire technological landscape has evolved and we lose some efficiency in the process,” Angara said.

“Now is a good time as any to reassess the law, look at its strengths and weaknesses, build on these strengths and be more responsive to the needs of the government and the people,” he stressed.

The GPRA, introduced by his father, the late Senate President Edgardo Angara, was hailed by the World Bank and other countries as an important piece of legislation as it sought to improve the efficiency, competition, transparency in the state’s procurement processes.

The law is also tasked to eliminate political interference, which often leads to corruption in the government procurement process.

But Angara noted that overtime, the law’s implementation has been confronted with challenges, particularly underspending or the utilization of funds by some government entities. 

The prolonged delays in the implementation of infrastructure projects and the tedious processes in the ordering of goods and services also marred the law’s intention. 

Angara pointed out even President Marcos himself called on Congress to pass a new procurement law and auditing code that would make government procurement and auditing attuned to the changing times during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA). 

The Executive branch, through the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), has recommended specific amendments to the law that would introduce innovative procurement methods that are aligned with the assessment of the public procurement system of the countrying through the use of methodoloy for assessing procurement system or MAPS.

It espoused the awarding of contracts, not only based on the lowest bids, but on merit. Transparency is prioritized and access to information on the procurement and bidding process will include online platforms, Angara stressed. 

“A common observation in government procurement is that giving priority to the lowest bid does not always work in the best interests of the procuring entities because they sometimes end up with inferior quality of goods,” the senator explained.

Thus, a review of the GPRA will address these challenges and assist procuring entities in coping with the implementation of vast, complex and intricate government projects, the lawmaker said.

The finance panel, Angara said, will likewise, take into consideration the roadblocks to participating in the government procurement process experienced by entrepreneurs who are relatively new and small as relayed during the Senate hearings on the “Tatak Pinoy” or Proudly Filipino bill.