Reducing project costs through the Detailed Unit Price Analysis (DUPA) by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) could generate huge savings for the government, both Batangas First District Rep. Leandro Legarda and Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon agree.
“If there’s at least 10 percent savings, there could be an additional P62 to P88 [billion] of savings that could go either to more projects or help close the deficit,” Legarda Leviste, vice chair of the House committee on appropriations, said.
During the DPWH budget briefing at the House of Representatives last Wednesday, Dizon said the agency is already studying the proposal of Leviste.
He added that the 10 percent reduction envisioned by the lawmaker could be feasible.
“That is one of the things we plan to do in the coming weeks and the coming months, to find a way to lower DUPA. We need to review it carefully with the end goal of bringing it down in order to be more efficient in the utilization of the budget,” Dizon told the panel in Filipino.
“At least 10 percent can be reduced across the board,” he added.
The DUPA is a document that breaks down the cost of each specific construction work item to determine a fair and reasonable unit cost.
It details the costs for materials, labor, and equipment for a given quantity of work, along with established production outputs for crew sizes and equipment usage, serving as a basis for the project’s budget and payment.
