Quezon City 1st District Rep. Juan Carlos “Arjo” Atayde
MANILA, Philippines — The recently signed Republic Act No. 12009, or the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA), will ensure that the procedures for the government’s purchase of goods will be modernized, Quezon City 1st District Rep. Arjo Atayde said on Friday.
In a statement, Atayde said that laws need to keep up with the times and technologies to boost the fight against corruption.
“The Government Procurement Reform Act ensures that our procurement processes are not just efficient, but also maximize existing and emerging technologies,” said Atayde, one of the authors of the law.
“This new law is about embracing technology to enhance transparency and accountability in government procurement. This is the kind of innovation our country needs to thrive,” he added.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed R.A. No. 12009 on July 20, two days before his third State of the Nation Address.
Under the new law, the government no longer needs to prefer lowest-priced bids which, several observers said, were sometimes disadvantageous as cheaper items would eventually perform worse than higher-priced products.
Instead of a “lowest calculated and responsive bid” as stated in R.A. No. 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act, the NGPA has a provision that states “most economically advantageous responsive bid” — an indication that items purchased do not have to be the cheapest-priced.
“This is actually, an attempt to consider the qualitative, not only the purely quantitative, but the qualitative, economic value of any proposal, as an alternative to the prevailing practice of which we now do of choosing just the cheapest product,” Marcos said after signing the law.
READ: ‘Lowest bid’ no sure win under new gov’t procurement law
The NGPA also “introduces the use of an electronic marketplace that would digitize the procurement of commonly used equipment” while cutting the period of action on procurement activities from 90 days to 60 days, Atayde said.
READ: Romualdez hails new gov’t procurement law
However, Atayde also acknowledged that the law is just merely the beginning of a movement for better procurement.
“Good governance is about more than just slogans; it’s about conceptualizing and implementing smart solutions that benefit our kababayan. The [NGPA], I believe, is a step towards a more efficient and corruption-free government,” he said.
“This bill should just be the beginning, as we must continue to explore and implement technological advancements that can revolutionize and significantly improve our public services,” he added.