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The Procurement Service – Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM), led by its Executive Director (ED) Dennis S. Santiago, attended the opening of the Korea Public Procurement Expo (KoPPEx) 2024 on April 17 at the Korea International Exhibition Center (KINTEX) in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.
Now in its 24th year, KoPPEx gathers Korean companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), that actively supply the public procurement sector for an opportunity to display and find markets for their new products and technologies. The three-day long expo likewise allows direct interaction between RoK’s SMEs, foreign buyers, international organizations, and procurement officials from around the world.
ED Santiago is with Director for Procurement Group, Atty. Genmaries S. Entredicho-Caong; Director for Operations Group, Atty. Philip Josef T. Vera Cruz; and Chief of Legal Division, Atty. Ramon Antonio Matibag. DBM Directors Ramon Asuncion and Mario Santos are also part of the delegation.
Serving as an avenue for potential collaborative partnerships among attendees, KoPPEx provides the DBM and PS-DBM officials with a platform to gain access to the global procurement market and adopt strategic insights and current standards.
Late last year, PS-DBM officials joined DBM Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman in in the Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Republic of Korea’s (RoK) Public Procurement Service (PPS) to exchange ideas and best practices that will enhance Philippine public procurement process and improve bureaucratic efficiency
PS-DBM ED Santiago holds talk at the KoPPEx’s 2024 IPPW
Among the highlights of the PH delegation’s visit was the conduct of the International Public Procurement Workshop (IPPW) where ED Santiago staged a talk on April 18.
He joined the panel of international procurement experts to take part in the sharing of latest global trends in government procurement, sponsored by RoK PPS.
Bannering the theme, “Gaining New Insight on Public Procurement,” IPPW kicked off interactive sessions participated by procurement practitioners and professionals from around 20 countries, including Canada, Italy, Mexico, Paraguay, Poland, and Philippines, among others. Major international organizations were in attendance, namely, the Asian Development Bank, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, United Nations, World Bank, and IPPW co-host International American Development Bank.
ED Santiago, in his discussion, zeroed in on the challenges facing public procurement, with emphasis on the role and value of central procurement agencies, such as PS-DBM. He also underscored the importance of forging partnerships with merchants and suppliers in order to promote competition. The on-going initiatives of PS-DBM to reform and digitalize the country’s public procurement landscape is likewise highlighted, including the modernization of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) which will soon introduce an eMarketplace electronic procurement platform.
The session went beyond the presentation of challenges as it also probed into how various countries address and resolve common issues and concerns.
“Champion straightforward transactions and call for action against graft and corruption to gain the trust of our stakeholders and the general public,” ED Santiago said.
PS-DBM actively takes part in these engagements not only to develop the country’s bilateral relations with international communities but ultimately to realize its vision to become the trusted and preferred procurement partner of the Philippine public sector, guided by ED Santiago’s constant reminder: Public procurement delayed is public service denied.