PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has issued an executive order for the streamlining of the rules and procedures of defense contracts.
In Executive Order No. 18 issued Monday, Duterte said Republic Act No. 9184 or the “Government Procurement Reform Act of 2003” declared it a policy of the State to promote the ideals of good governnance with a view to transparency, competitiveness, streamlining, accountability, and public monitoring in the procurement of government contracts.
In line with the government’s program of good governance, EO No. 235 (s. 2003) was issued which, among others, limited the authority of the Secretary of National Defense to delegate approvals of procurement contracts and established a single Bids and Awards Committee for the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
It has been observed that the implementation of EO No. 235 resulted in bureaucratic impediments and unnecessary delays in the procurements of important defense projects.
Since the issuance of EO No. 235, the Department of National Defense, the AFP, and the civilian bureaus and agencies have identified and operationalized other reform measures to promote transparency, impartiality, and accountability in procurement transactions.
In his EO No. 18, Duterte repealed EO No. 235 (s. 2003).
All other orders, rules, regulations and issuances or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with this Order are likewise repealed or amended accordingly, said Duterte.
The Secretary of National Defense is also mandated to identify and institutionalize measures that will effectively monitor the operations of the separate Bids and Awards Committee which may be created pursuant to Republic Act No. 9184 to ensure and promote transparency, impartiality and accountability in procurement transactions.
All defense procurement contracts, including those presently being processed and /or reviewed, shall hereafter be reviewed and/or processed in accordance with RA No. 9184 and EO No. 423 (s. 2005), as amended by EO No. 645 (s. 2007).
