Gov’t sets July launch of e-marketplace

MANILA, Philippines — The government is set to launch in July a pilot e-marketplace for the procurement of vehicles, said Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman on Tuesday.

Pangandaman and other Department of Budget and Management (DBM) officials met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. where they reported the progress of the e-marketplace initiative.

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“We are all excited for the official launch of our e-marketplace by the end of July. As you all know, this is part of our efforts to digitalize the government’s procurement system and address concerns on the procurement process – which is the biggest bottleneck or hurdle in the budget utilization of our agencies,” said Pangandaman in a Palace briefing.

According to DBM Procurement Service Executive Director Dennis Santiago, the shortest time for procurement under competitive bidding takes at least 26 days and can extend up to 136 days.

“Now, with the e-Marketplace, you have products already in the system then the government procuring entities will have to select from those products and then make an order right there,” said Santiago.

“In one day puwede ho kayong maka-procure (In one day, you can make the purchase),” said Santiago.

Santiago explained that for suppliers to be part of the e-marketplace, there will be technical and legal qualifications.

“We are looking at our manufacturers and distributors. We are not dealing with dealerships, we are dealing with manufacturers and distributors of motor vehicles,” said Santiago.