Suppliers, contractors, and consultants attend the 4th BSP Procurement Opportunities Fair to learn more about procurement opportunities with the government.
The emergence of digital platforms has made the processing of transactions more convenient. And all industries — whether private or government-regulated — are expected to welcome this development.
In an effort to cope with the procedural changes it demands, the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) of the Department of Budget and Management’s (DBM) Procurement Service (PS) has heeded the call of digitalization, and is now in the process of modernizing the system.
PhilGEPS Director IV Rosa Maria Clemente is among the speakers in the 4th BSP Procurement Opportunities Fair to tackle transparency through information and communication technology.
“Bago pa magbagong-taon, nagmi-migrate na kami from the previous system to the modernized version,” PhilGEPS Director IV Rosa Maria Clemente said in her talk during the 4th Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Procurement Opportunities Fair held from January 15 to 16 at the Assembly Hall of BSP in Malate, Manila.
The two-day event aimed to brief new suppliers, contractors, and consultants about procurement opportunities with the government, and to strengthen their collaboration altogether.
PhilGEPS staff man the booth for inquiries about registration to PhilGEPS and its transition to a modernized version.
PhilGEPS staff answer queries from suppliers.
Dir. Rosa’s discussion focused on the subject of transparency through information and communication technology. She believes that as the single, centralized electronic portal that serves as the primary and definitive source of information on government procurement, PS-PhilGEPS should be monitored and even scrutinized by the public.
“This is to ensure that we deliver our mandate in respect to the principles of the law, and our service to the public,” she said, pointing out that utilizing an electronic procurement system is not merely a local initiative but an international endeavour.
In relation, the Open Data portal is also continuously improved, where suppliers can analyse the buying patterns in the government, and, therefore — going back to the primary goal — enhance transparency.
“Ang objective nito is magamit kung anong impormasyon ang nasa PhilGEPS para mas mapaghandaan ‘yung mga government biddings, para pwede na natin aralin kung ano ba ‘yung mga binibili ng gobyerno,” Dir. Rosa explained.
So, what lies ahead?
At the moment, based on the project timeline, the shift to modernization is most manifested by the full implementation of the Virtual Store — the online service of PS-PhilGEPS that allows agencies to view, search, select, and procure Common-Use Supplies and Equipment from the PS. It is initially in full implementation for agencies buying from PS-Main but such will eventually be rolled out in the PS Depots and government agencies in the regions.
Other changes expected to take place are the creation of central merchant registration data base, facilitation of an e-Marketplace and e-Payment, posting of electronic bulletin board, e-Bid submission,conduct of electronic bidding, andlaunching of a mobile application, among many others.
“Gagawin nating electronic… Dapat maging online na lahat para mas mabilis,” Dir. Rosa reiterated.
Amidst the transition, all registered suppliers are required to upgrade or renew their Platinum membership.
All these are guided by Republic Act No. 11032 of 2018, or an act promoting ease of doing business and efficient delivery of government services.
Dir. Rosa, however, clarified that these functionalities are still subject for approval by the guidelines of the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB). For more details on PS-PhilGEPS’ modernization, please visit their websites at https://www.philgeps.gov.ph/ or https://mgeps.philgeps.gov.ph/