With the government e-marketplace posting over ₱80 million in sales in the first three months of 2025, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) expects this to quadruple by the end of the year as more merchants are eyed to enter the platform.

According to Genmaries Entredicho-Caong, DBM procurement service executive director, the total value of orders from the government e-marketplace was equivalent to 86 orders.

Since the bulk of procurement activities usually happens at the start of each year, Caong said the agency’s projection is “multiplying it by four” for the year-end. If realized, the e-marketplace would generate total sales of about ₱320 million by year-end.

But given the fact that several procuring agencies still have yet to place their orders due to the election ban on new government spending, the most probable scenario would be just about ₱160 million or double the first-quarter figure.

“So far, in our sales for the motor vehicles, we noted around ₱10 million savings already,” Caong said during the East Asia and the Pacific International Public Procurement Conference, April 28, Monday.

These savings, Caong said, were due to the e-marketplace’s substantially lower pricing than market price.

“That is the difference between the price of motor vehicles in the e-marketplace and the market price, as well as their approved budget under the authority to purchase through the e-marketplace,” Caong said.

On average, Caong noted that prices of common-use supplies and equipment (CSE) in the e-marketplace are 30- to 40-percent lower than market rates.

About 15 of the 86 orders have already been delivered to the buyers or procuring agencies. These 15 deliveries translated into approximately ₱31 million of the total sales. 

Caong noted that deliveries are pending as some customers have yet to complete their payments, while others are still being referred to dealers. Delivery will proceed once payment is confirmed, she said.

For the pilot implementation of the e-marketplace, the DBM has onboarded only two motor vehicle companies—Toyota Motor Philippines and Cross Country.

“So once we onboard more merchants, of course, the agencies whose requirements match the brands carried by these merchants—we expect to gain more sales from them,” Caong said.

For the DBM's part, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said that the agency aims the procurement process to be “more efficient to ensure that it reaches our beneficiaries. And secondly, we don’t just build the capacity of the procuring entities—we also want our suppliers and merchants to be part of the procurement system.”

The e-marketplace currently offers 63 motor vehicle models, including sedans, passenger vans, pickups, multipurpose vehicles (MPVs), SUVs, buses, and minibuses. Most of the orders received so far are for multipurpose vehicles and passenger vans.

Caong noted that cloud computing services, airline tickets, and software licenses were among the initial offerings. Within the year, the lineup is expected to expand to include ICT equipment, printer ink and supplies, and possibly some paper products in the e-marketplace.