Data-sharing deal to promote gov’t procurement transparency: DBM

Acknowledging the government’s resolve to ensure proper and transparent procurement, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman viewed the information exchange deal between the GPPB and SEC as a “game changer”. (File Photo: Department of Budget and Management/Facebook)

MANILA – The Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are set to sign a data-sharing agreement to promote transparency in the procurement process, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) announced Tuesday.

The ceremonial signing of the data-sharing agreement will be held on Wednesday, or the last day of the two-day validation exercise and culminating activity for the pilot test on the use of the revised Procurement Reports, the DBM said.

“The agreement seeks to promote transparency and improve the process of validating the bidder’s qualification in the government procurement,” the budget department said in a statement.

Acknowledging the government’s resolve to ensure proper and transparent procurement, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman viewed the information exchange deal between the GPPB and SEC as a “game changer”.

“Indeed, the implementation of the revised Procurement Reports and the Dat- Sharing Agreement with SEC will be a game-changer not only in the field of planning and monitoring but on the procurement operations as a whole,” said Pangandaman, who also serves as GPPB chairperson.

The GPPB, an independent inter-agency body created under Republic Act 9184, operates to protect national interest in all matters affecting public procurement.

On the other hand, the SEC serves as the registrar and overseer of the Philippine corporate sector, supervising more than 600,000 active corporations and evaluating the financial statements (FS) filed by all corporations registered with it.

The DBM, along with GPPB, commenced Tuesday the validation exercise and culminating activity for the pilot test on the use of the revised procurement.

The event, the DBM said, serves as a venue for clarification, bridging gaps, and further improvement of the Procurement Reports in preparation for the planned automation.

Pangandaman said the activity affirms the DBM’s commitment to improve the procurement process and pursue e-governance as it moves closer to the finalization of the revised Procurement Reports.

“Our shared efforts in this endeavor signify our firm belief and stance that the conduct of proper procurement should be guided by bureaucratic efficiency, transparency, and service to the people,” she said.

On April 7, 2022, the GPBB approved the pilot test of the revised Procurement Reports as an initial step towards the shift to digitalization, a move that would help ensure that Procuring Entities (PEs) would get complete and vital information.

The DBM said the automated Procurement Reports will provide a “clear and real-time” picture of the PE’s procurement performance by generating diagnostics that would “help it adjust and set priority action plans for improvement.”

GPPB Executive Director Rowena Candace Ruiz said the two-day activity would help realize the government’s bid for a “more agile and responsive” public procurement system, “one that leverages the use of data analytics to better inform our procurement planning and enhance procurement efficiency in government.”

The validation exercise underscores the roles and responsibilities of procurement officers; the constraints and concerns of PEs in the implementation of the revised Procurement Reports; and the effectiveness of the forms and accessibility of the data needed to accomplish them, the DBM said.

It said representatives of Pilot PEs, including the Philippine National Police, National Parks Development Committee, National Housing Authority, Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, West Visayas State University, Philippine Space Agency, and Department of Information and Communications Technology participated in the event.