PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has tasked various government agencies to put safeguards in place once the country starts to implement online procurement system.
“There will still be an element of accreditation because we cannot just open the market to anything…. (What if) you buy something, you get nothing. A box with nothing inside,” President Marcos said during a sectoral meeting in Malacañang.
The Chief Executive said in order to properly put up a safeguard, the government should talk to accredited partners.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) eyes amendments to the Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA) to address issues of underspending that slowed down the country’s economic growth.
Included in the proposed amendment of the GPRA is the establishment of an e-marketplace for government agencies, similar to an online shopping platform, to directly purchase from suppliers and improve the procurement process.
The President also warned about the possibility of overpricing, which would affect products and equipment through the digital platform.
During the meeting, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan told Marcos that it is difficult to calculate product pricing because “if goods are quite heterogenous, not homogeneous, the price differences could also reflect quality differences.”
“We know that… goods that might be overpriced. There are already some exploitation of market power by preventing competitors from coming in,” Balisacan said.
“We know that… goods that might be overpriced. There are already some exploitation of market power by preventing competitors from coming in,” Balisacan said.
Marcos also warned about the possibility of overpricing, which will be
disadvantageous to those buying products and equipment through the digital platform.
Meanwnhile, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman disclosed the proposed amendments to Republic Act No. 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act—innovative procurement methods, efficiency in the process, procurement planning and budgeting, digitalization and innovation, green procurement, and miscellaneous provisions.
Among the proposed amendments is the establishment of an e-marketplace similar to the prevailing online shopping solution, where government agencies would be able to procure goods and services from accredited suppliers.
