MANILA — Congress has approved the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA) and is now up for signature by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. 

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Officially known as "An Act Revising Republic Act 9184 otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act and for Other Purposes," the bill was passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives on May 22, 2024.

The Senate ratified the Bicameral Conference Committee Report on May 22, with the House doing the same the next day.

Sen. Sonny Angara, the principal author and sponsor of Senate Bill No. 2593, said in a press release the new procurement law promotes greater transparency, competitiveness, efficiency, professionalism accountability, and sustainability in the government procurement process.

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Angara explained that new modes of procurement have also been introduced to provide greater flexibility to the procuring entities in choosing based on their requirements. These are: competitive dialogue; unsolicited offer with bid matching; direct acquisition; direct sales (pasabuy); direct procurement for science, technology and innovation.

It also said that another key feature of the NGPA is the introduction of the Most Economically Advantageous Responsive Bid (MEARB), which incorporates a pre-determined quality of the goods to be procured as part of the criteria for selecting the winning bid. 

“Ang MEARB ay tugon sa obserbasyon ng maraming ahensiya at institusyon ng gobyerno tungkol sa kalidad ng mga binibiling gamit kung ang pagbabasehan lang ay ang pinakamura na presyo. Sayang din naman ang pondo kung nakatipid ka nga sa presyo pero mas madali naman masira o mahina ang kalidad ng gamit na nabili mo,” Angara said.

Likewise, it said that the NGPA also shortens the period of action on procurement activities from 90 days to 60 days which starts from the opening up of bids to the awarding of the contract.

Among the new elements introduced in the NGPA are video recording of procurement-related conferences; equal access to information at all levels of procurement for the procuring entities; the full disclosure, under oath, of any and all relationships between the bidders and all the personalities involved in the bidding process; and qualified observers will be present in all stages of procurement. 

The NGPA tasks the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to create procurement positions in government.

“This measure will also help boost investor confidence in the Philippines because as we all know, they are constantly looking at the processes undertaken, particularly by the government, when they make decisions to invest in a particular jurisdiction. Consistency, transparency and accountability are key elements in attracting investments,” Angara added.