MANILA -- The Department of Budget and Management (DBM), along with the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB), in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, started the 2-day validation exercise and culminating activity for the Pilot Testing on the use of the revised Procurement Reports on October 25 as an important stage to its finalization.

The gathering is an affirmation of 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,” DBM Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said.

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

The Pilot Testing of the revised Procurement Reports was approved by the GPPB on April 7, 2022 as the initial step towards its automation to ensure the completeness of vital information as well as responsiveness of these information to the needs of the Procuring Entities (PEs). These automated Procurement Reports shall provide a clear and real-time picture of the PE's procurement performance by generating diagnostics that will help it adjust and set priority action plans for improvement.

“Our presence during this two day co-creation activity is an affirmation of our shared commitment towards 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,” GPPB Executive Director Rowena Candace M. Ruiz stressed.

As part of the culminating activity, a ceremonial signing of the Data Sharing Agreements between the GPPB and the Securities and Exchange Commission will be conducted on the second day, October 26. The agreement seeks to promote transparency and improve the process of validating the bidder’s qualification in the government procurement.

“Indeed, the implementation of the revised Procurement Reports and the Data 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,” Pangandaman underscored.

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

Participants of the event are representatives of Pilot Procuring Entities, 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. (DBM)