President Marcos has approved the implementation of the e-Marketplace Procurement System of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

Marcos made the approval during a sectoral meeting with DBM officials at the Malacañan on Tuesday, May 14.
The President also approved the e-Marketplace Procurement System to be piloted before July this year.
It can be recalled that in August last year, in a meeting on the proposed amendments to the Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act, Marcos directed the DBM to study the inclusion of all goods such as vehicles, office supplies, heavy equipment and more in the e-Marketplace.
Marcos said that government procurement should be as easy and transparent as commercial online shopping.
His approval of the system, Malacañang said, is in keeping with the modernization and amendments to the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS).
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said the e-Marketplace is a digital platform that facilitates buying and selling activities between multiple buyers and sellers.
"It serves as a virtual marketplace where transactions and interactions occur electronically. It’s similar to Lazada, Amazon and Shopee. It is a significant component of digital transformation as it leverages the power of the internet and technology to connect businesses, consumers and suppliers in the digital environment," she said in a Palace briefing on Tuesday.
Pangandaman added that the ongoing procurement reforms including the proposed amendments to the 20-year old Government Procurement Reform Act are the government's "way of making our procurement system efficient, transparent, reliable, sustainable and future-proof."
According to Procurement Service (PS)-DBM Executive Director Dennis Santiago, the e-Marketplace will provide a platform to both for sellers and buyers —sellers, market operators, and government as buyers– to look into multiple products in one platform where they can choose, order, and pay everything through the system.
"So, this will basically shorten the procurement process, the common things done through competitive bidding will be shortened to, you know, in one sitting you can already make your purchase; and then, of course, it provides for efficiency in government contracting," Santiago said.
He said it could also be used to procure government vehicles, including heavy equipment, ambulances, fire trucks among others.
He added that they are looking to conduct the pilot implementation of the e-Marketplace with motor vehicles