Officials and staff of the Procurement Service – Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PS-PhilGEPS) visited Wellington, New Zealand (NZ) on March 22 to 28, 2015 to conduct a study tour and learn more about the best procurement practices in New Zealand, a country with excellent background in good governance and transparency in government transactions. This is part of the PS-PhilGEPS’ capacity building program which aims to increase the agency’s capacity and upgrade skills in government procurement.
The partner of PS-PhilGEPS in this study tour is NZ’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), the agency created to be the functional leader in procurement in NZ. Its roles are basically: (a) to create, maintain, and promote environment for business to succeed; (b) to adopt result-oriented policies; and (c) to adopt cost-saving measures for the benefit of the government.
Mr. John Ivil discusses the New Zealand Procurement System.
Mr. John Ivil, General Manager of the Government Procurement and Market Services of MBIE, gave a discussion on the overview of NZ’s procurement system. The delegation learned that the NZ procurement system is very flexible such that the agencies can buy and do procurement on their own but has to be guided by the rules set by MBIE. The rules allow for the government to be able to procure goods, works and services that will help the government deliver the desired outcome that they want to achieve. NZ builds on “trust” when they transact with their suppliers and vice versa. This is a result of the government being transparent because of the implementation of the Official Information Act, which makes official information more available.
Also, most of their staff are experts in contract management and they also have a commercial pool of experts who provide advice on procurement. Most of the activities were conducted in the MBIE. The following are some of the activities attended by the delegation:
• Welcome Dinner in the Philippine Embassy in New Zealand hosted by Ambassador Virginia H. Benavidez. More details on the welcome dinner here.
The PS-PhilGEPS NZ Team together with officials of the Philippine Embassy in New Zealand during the welcome dinner hosted by Ambassador Virginia H. Benavidez. (From L-R: Vice Consul Glenn Joseph Obach, Finance Officer Ms. Divina Cruz, Minister and Consul General Arlene Gonzales-Macaisa, Mr. Mervin Ian Tanquintic, Ms. Mary Jane Dacumos, Ms. Flerida G. Arias, Executive Director Rosa Maria M. Clemente, Engr. Jaime Navarrete, Jr., Atty. Vhincent Cañares, Assistant Defence Attaché Col. Connor Anthony Canlas, Ms. Stephanny Belmonte, Mr. Neoldino Bañaga, and Property Officer Ms. Monette Garcia)
• Discussion about the Government Electronic Tender System (GETS), the electronic procurement system of NZ and how it is the same with some of the functionalities of PhilGEPS. (MBIE)
Ms. Liz Palmer discusses the Government Electronic Tender System (GETS) of New Zealand.
• Discussion on the Collaborative contracts on Gas, Travel and ICT (MBIE)
Discussion on the AOG contracts on Gas, Travel and ICT
• Discussion on Contract Management and Procurement Practices (MBIE)
Discussion on the AOG contract.
• A “Meet the Buyer” seminar wherein two speakers from other government agencies were asked to talk about their procurement experiences. (MBIE)
• Site visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
• Discussion with the NZ Trade Enterprise (NZTE), the agency in-charge of ensuring growth of local business in NZ
Ms. Mary-Anne Webber discusses the functions of the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.
The delegation was composed of Exec. Dir. Rosa Maria M. Clemente, Ms. Flerida G. Arias, Mr. Sixto V. Antonio, Jr., Atty. Vhincent G. Cañares, Ms. Stephanny L. Belmonte, Ms. Mary Jane T. Dacumos, Mr. Neoldino Bañaga, Mr. Mervin Ian Tanquintic, and Engr. Jaime Navarrete, Jr. The delegation submitted their report and recommendations to the Executive Director of the Procurement Service.
The PS-PhilGEPS NZ team together with officials from NZ. (From L to R: Atty. Vhincent G. Cañares, Ms. Jessica Allison-Batt, Ms. Mary Jane T. Dacumos, Mr. Sixto V. Antonio, Jr., Ms. Karen English, Ms. Flerida G. Arias, Executive Director Rosa Maria M. Clemente, Mr. John Ivil, Mr. Mr. Mervin Ian Tanquintic, Ms. Stephanny Belmonte, Engr. Jaime Navarrete, Jr., and Mr. Neoldino Bañaga)