The Senate and the House of Representatives (HoR) have ratified the Bicameral Conference Committee version of the proposed New Government Procurement Act (NGPA) on May 22, 2024. Having reconciled the disagreeing provisions from both the lower and upper chambers of Congress, NGPA is now for transmittal to President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. — moving it closer to finally becoming a law.
This development came only a day after the Senate approved the bill, sponsored by Sen. Sonny Angara, on third and final reading. On its end, the final version of NGPA was signed by Sen. Angara, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Sen. Nancy Binay, Sen. Loren Legarda, and Sen. Joel Villanueva.
Meanwhile, sponsor Cong. Edward Vera-Perez Maceda, Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr., Cong. Ysabel Maria Zamora, Cong. Anna Victoria Veloso-Tuazon, Cong. Danny A. Domingo, Cong. Florida Robes, and Cong. Lex Colada, signed for HoR.
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PS-DBM, led by Executive Director Dennis S. Santiago, made significant contributions to the drafting of the bill, which include the introduction of New award criteria such as the Most Economically Advantageous and Responsive Bid (MEARB) and the Most Advantageous and Responsive Bid (MARB). New modes of procurement such as Direct Acquisition, Direct Sales, Competitive Dialogue, Unsolicited offer with bid matching, and Direct Procurement for Science, Technology, and Innovation have also been proposed by PS-DBM.
The NGPA will also pave the way for the introduction of the eMarketplace through the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS), which shall make procurement efficient and convenient for Procuring Entities.
Certified as urgent by the President, the NGPA will amend the decades-old procurement law, with provisions that put digitalization and innovation at the very core.