The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is adding electric vehicles (EVs) to the list of common-use supplies and equipment that government workers can buy through its official e-commerce platform.

The expansion, finalized during a recent green technology product rollout by the Procurement Service-DBM, integrates electric vehicles and cloud computing services into the state procurement system. The policy shift aims to accelerate sustainable operations across public agencies, building on the existing inclusion of hybrid vehicles on the virtual storefront.

The government expects the centralized program to lower public expenditures. Vehicles listed on the eMarketplace are priced roughly six percent to seven percent below standard market rates, according to the Procurement Service-DBM. Cloud services will offer steeper discounts, with savings reaching up to 30 percent through committed-use agreements under one-year lock-in contracts.

Beyond these new high-tech categories, the procurement agency has designated 39 existing items within the virtual store as green products to steer government offices toward environmentally responsible purchasing. The platform currently tracks 146 total items classified as common-use supplies and equipment.

The overhaul represents an effort to update state transactions and reduce environmental impact, Budget and Management Secretary Kim Robert De Leon said in a statement. These initiatives are designed to foster sustainable, smarter, and more responsive public procurement.

By standardizing these technology-driven solutions, the government plans to streamline the adoption of cleaner practices across regional and national agencies. Standardized cataloging allows individual government offices to lower their operational carbon footprints while improving overall cost efficiency, Procurement Service-DBM Executive Director Genmaries Entredicho-Caong said.

She noted that subsidizing the entry prices of electric vehicles serves as a structural incentive to promote energy-efficient transport within the bureaucracy.

Private sector merchants involved in the initial vehicle rollout include Cross Country Motors, Foton, Kia, Maroon Studios, and Mobility Access Philippines Ventures Inc., the local distributor of BYD cars. The DBM is also evaluating additional electric vehicle brands, including Vietnam’s VinFast, for potential integration into the eMarketplace catalog. (Derco Rosal)