Speaking before a crowd of around 300 Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) officials and employees, with online participation of thousands of other personnel nationwide, Procurement Service - Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) Executive Director (ED) Genmaries “Gen” S. Entredicho–Caong advanced Green Public Procurement in her talk as resource speaker at LANDBANK’s flag-raising ceremony on November 4, 2024 in Malate, Manila.
In her discussion, ED Gen highlighted PS-DBM’s initiatives in championing Green Public Procurement (GPP)—an area of interest for LANDBANK as it aims to “integrate green specifications into its procurement practices towards an ecologically-sound and environment-sustainable future.”
In presenting the topic, ED Gen enumerated the ten (10) pilot Common-use Supplies and Equipment (CSE) with green specifications in the PS-DBM product catalogue, as well as the other CSE items in which the “green criteria” have been integrated as of 2024. The GPP Roadmap and its implementation status were likewise tackled.
Committed to furthering the implementation of Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP)/GPP in the country as the government’s central procuring arm, ED Gen also shared PS-DBM’s on-going efforts to fulfill this advocacy, anchored on its 12-point Reform Agenda. These include the creation of a GPP Committee to review technical specifications of CSE items and incorporate green parameters; continuous collaboration with merchants to increase the number of green items in the CSE list; and forging partnerships with relevant organizations for capacity building, among others.
In relation, the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA) has strengthened provisions on the institutionalization of SPP/GPP in the Philippines, mandating procuring entities to lead the implementation of green practices in their procurement activities through adoption of concepts such as the Green Local Market, SPP/GPP Strategy, and the Most Economically Advantageous Responsive Bid as an award criterion.
The presentation of ED Gen also served as an opportunity to provide the audience with a preview of its Electronic Marketplace, or the eMarketplace—an additional feature of the modernized Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) that would serve as the government’s official e-commerce platform, allowing Procuring Entities, such as LANDBANK, to procure CSE from legally, technically, and financially capable suppliers.
Having the same goal, PS-DBM is one with LANDBANK in its pursuit of building a sustainable and future-proof procurement system for the organization, not only to instill environmental consciousness but also to holistically reinforce its corporate values among the workforce. | November 4, 2024/LR