DBM still bats for centralized gov't procurement
Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman has thrown her support behind the Procurement Service – Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM), saying that centralized government procurement is still more advantageous to the government and the Filipino people.
Speaking at the Partners in Service 2023 appreciation for PS-DBM partner-merchants and suppliers, Pangandaman explained that with transformational initiatives and reforms at hand, she is confident that the “PS-DBM will only get better.”
“Centralized procurement is still more advantageous to the government and its people. Hence, I will continue to support PS-DBM while advocating for the restructuring of its organizational staffing and the amendment of the Government Procurement Reform Act which is already two decades old," Pangandaman said.
These initiatives and reforms include the digitalization and the promotion of a sustainable procurement system through Green Public Procurement (GPP).
She added, a manual is likewise being crafted to guide procurement practitioners in embedding green specifications in Common-use Supplies and Equipment (CSEs).
Pangandaman also reiterated the need to amend the Government Procurement Reform Act.
"With the updated law, we will have the opportunity to put the right people in, thus ensuring accountability as well as the sustainability of the institution and our procurement system,” Pangandaman said.
“I am confident that with the excellent leadership of Atty. Santiago, our reforms will be realized and executed with utmost integrity," the Budget chief emphasized.
For his part, PS-DBM Executive Director (ED) Dennis Santiago presented PS-DBM’s 12-Point Agenda, which shall foster game-changing transformation in the agency.
The 12-Point Agenda aims to focus on the procurement of CSEs; study, review, and rationalize CSEs; study, review, and recast specifications and pricing; beef up stock-priming of depots and hubs; streamline and modernize the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS); and institutionalize and implement the GPP.
It shall also guide the organizational restructuring of PS-DBM.
In his message, Santiago appealed to the PS-DBM partners saying, “We will not ask, solicit, beg, or require anything from you – pecuniary or otherwise – to secure a contract or an award.”
“We urge you to continue complying with the legal, technical, and financial requirements of our project opportunities, and submit a responsive and competitive price offer to secure or win a project,” Santiago said.