BEYOND BUDGET

Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

On March 21, 2024, we celebrated the Third World Sustainable Procurement Day. Organized annually since 2022, it promotes sustainable procurement that considers environmental, social, and governance issues in decision-making to minimize environmental impact while achieving beneficial organizational and societal results. This year’s motto, #collaborate2accelerate, underscores the importance of building and maintaining strong partner relationships in this pursuit.

For us in the Department of Budget and Management, the day was made more meaningful and memorable with the inauguration of the new Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) building in Quezon City. I am truly proud and honored to join this historic event as I firmly believe that the facility’s inauguration is more than just an achievement in terms of office infrastructure. More so, it is a testament to our dedication to providing our colleagues in the government with an environment that fosters innovation, collaboration, and improved public service delivery — in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s (PBBM’s) commitment to enhance state workers’ welfare in “our efforts to build a resilient government driven by agile and future-ready civil servants.”

Championing sustainability and functionality, the establishment has been designed to meet GPPB’s evolving needs and as a hub to advance procurement policies that are not only effective but also responsive to the challenges of the times. Its building marker symbolizes our commitment to integrity and excellence in public procurement and serves as a reminder of the responsibilities we bear, as well as the impact of our decisions on the lives of our citizens. Thus, more than a new physical space, the building stands as a beacon that will guide us in elevating the standards of public procurement, ensuring that it remains a foundation of good governance.

To grace our newly unveiled GPPB building, we held the First Joint GPPB and Inter-Agency Technical Working Group Meeting this 2024, where we reflected on our achievements for the past year and set the tone for rest of the year. Signifying our recognition of the pivotal role of our allies in the academe and the private sector in advancing public procurement, I also led the momentous ceremonial signing of the commitment wall with State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), Private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), and private sector associations to build a cadre of procurement professionals through specialized training and certification.
As GPPB-Technical Support Office Executive Director Rowena Candice Ruiz emphasized in her speech during the event, “Following the findings from the Methodology for Assessing Procurement Systems initiative by the World Bank, our professionalization efforts underscore the critical need for specialized training and certification in public procurement to enhance the effectiveness of public sector operations and ensure accountability in the use of public funds.”

This need underpins our collaboration with public and private institutions, symbolizing a strategic alliance that leverages academic expertise and practical insights. I was thrilled as we renewed our commitment to this partnership, reaching a new milestone by welcoming new allies to our fold. We extended our collaboration to Private HEIs in expanding the implementation of the Public Procurement Specialist Certification Course and to private sector organizations in embarking on a new endeavor that promises to streamline training requirements. I was excited to meet our heroes in the professionalization of public procurement. Currently, we have 16 private sector association partners, 15 existing SUC partners, and three new Private HEI partners, namely the De La Salle University, the University of Santo Tomas, and the Western Philippines University.

This effort also manifests our commitment to integrating sustainability through professional or capacity development initiatives, one of the main provisions proposed in the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA), which was approved on the third and final reading by the House of Representatives on Dec. 12, 2023.

Meanwhile, I am glad to note that the Senate version of the proposed law is currently undergoing interpellation, with Senate Finance Committee Chairperson Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara as sponsor. In his sponsorship speech during a plenary session on March 11, 2024, Sen. Sonny emphasized the need for green and sustainable procurement to be introduced in the NGPA. He noted, “Such an approach aims to achieve value for money and minimal environmental impact throughout the entire lifecycle, from acquisition until disposal. Hence, procuring entities are mandated to integrate green practices and environmentally sound criteria for their procurement, among others.”

Sen. Sonny also underscored the provision for an inclusive procurement program that provides “equal opportunities” for vulnerable and marginalized sectors, including microenterprises, social enterprises, and startups, while considering gender and ethnic equity, poverty reduction, and labor standards, to ultimately enhance market competition.

I strongly support this measure as it puts policies and strategies in place to promote gender-responsive procurement to ensure equal opportunities for women-owned and women-led businesses in public procurement and government contracting. These strategies include supporting the definition of women-owned and women-led businesses under the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development Council Resolution No. 1, s. 2022; and the establishment of an inclusive capacity development seminar program for suppliers, including mentoring for women-owned and women-led businesses, to enhance supplier diversity and ensure wider and inclusive supplier participation in public procurement.

Beyond budget, procurement plays an essential role in realizing our Agenda for Prosperity, aligned with our Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028. Our programs, activities, and projects today will impact future generations. Thus, with the observance of the Third World Sustainable Procurement Day, we, in the PBBM administration, remain resolute in employing sustainable and inclusive procurement practices, through a whole-of-society approach, to secure a future-proof and sustainable economy for our Bagong Pilipinas — one that provides a bountiful life for our kababayans. Let’s therefore collaborate to accelerate progress!

(Amenah F. Pangandaman is the Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management.)