The proposed new Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA) will allow bidders to submit only the certificate of registration and membership, which will smoothen the procurement process and ensure its legality, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.

In a statement, Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said the provisions of GPRA or House Bill 9648 aim for transparency, competitiveness, efficiency, proportionality, and accountability in the government’s purchase of goods and services.

"Procurement impacts our daily lives— affecting not only the government but also the Filipino people. Challenges in procurement hinder the delivery of public services, with up to 25 percent of the total national government budget allocated to this process,” Pangandaman said

“So it is important that procurement is simple and won’t compromise the process," she stated in Tagalog.

The Bids and Awards Committee, as stated in Section 38 of the new GPRA, should require only the submission of prospective bidders’ valid and updated Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) Certificate of Registration and Membership.

This will ensure that the bidder is technically, legally, and financially capable of undertaking the proposed procurement of goods, infrastructure projects, and consulting services within the period stated, according to the proposed bill.

The Marcos administration pushed for the enactment of a new Government Procurement Law to make government procurement transformative and “more attuned to the changing times.”

“This approach will be operationalized through inter-agency cooperation; as well as through coordinated efforts between and among the three branches of government and the independent constitutional bodies,” President Marcos said.

“We have organized private sector advisory councils, and national-local mechanisms to establish the needed linkages,” he added.

The Government Procurement Policy Board, chaired by the budget secretary, is mandated to “continuously adopt innovative procedures for the submission, receipt, and opening of bids through the PhilGEPS.”

The DBM also recently announced the launching of an electronic marketplace, dubbed “eMarketplace”, where government agencies can directly procure supplies and equipment from reputable suppliers.