General Santos City (17 November 2022) – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 12 through its Administrative, Financial and Management Division partnered with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Region 12 in the conduct of a regional suppliers’ forum dubbed “Doing Business with the Public Sector: A Regional Suppliers’ Forum” in General Santos City.
The forum, which was attended by more than 150 active and potential suppliers mostly from food, IT, office supplies, venues and accommodations, hotels and restaurants, and the creative industry, aims to provide the most recent updates on the government procurement process under the framework of RA 9184 or the Government Procurement Act of 2022.
Flora Politud-Gabunales, the OIC Regional Director of DTI 12, said in her welcome message that the conduct of the forum aims to instill and put into practice the governing principles of government procurement.
“Through this forum, we hope to provide you with updates on the government procurement process and requirements under the framework of RA. By doing such, we hope to instill and put into practice the governing principles of government procurement which are transparency, competitiveness, streamlined procurement process, accountability, and public monitoring,” said Politud-Gabunales.
As a partner in the conduct of the event, DBM provided technical experts in the persons of Atty. Libertine Guanzon, assistant regional director, and Khristine Michelle Frediles, procurement management officer, to talk on government procurement procedures and documentary requirements, and the use of the Philippine government system (PhilGEPS) for suppliers.
PhilGEPS is a centralized electronic portal of information on government procurement to which better prices and substantial savings in administrative procurement costs and time are saved by government agencies.
Aside from plenary lectures, a PhilGEPS registration booth was set up by DBM Procurement Service to facilitate the registration of participating suppliers of goods and services, thereby qualifying them to participate in the competitive bidding of the government.
“Suppliers find PhilGEPS a cost-effective and efficient way of doing business with the government as well as in providing greater opportunities for small and medium enterprises’ participation. It is therefore our hope that more and more suppliers in Region 12 will take advantage of this platform and maximize participation in government procurement,” added Politud-Gabunales.
The suppliers’ forum is one of the side events of DTI 12 in line with the conduct of the Treasures of Region 12 Trade Expo in SM City General Santos which will run from 15 to 20 November 2022.♦
Date of Release: 22 November 2022