The Philippines government has launched a “Virtual Store” that allows public bodies to buy common goods online.
The store is a key feature of the modernising Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (mPhilGEPS), which is currently being developed and is expected to be completed by June 2019, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
“The Virtual Store will enable government agencies to make online purchases of common-use supplies and equipment, 24/7,” said the DBM.
“[mPhilGEPS] promises to provide an electronic procurement system with increased performance, reliability and ability to accommodate more users, while concurrently allowing government agencies to post their bids, award information and many more.
“It will also allow merchants to maintain their current registration and eligibility documents with ease.”
Meanwhile, president Rodrigo Duterte has announced a five-person commission will be formed to oversee government purchases as part of efforts to tackle corruption, it has been reported.
The commission will be tasked with preventing overpricing, ghost deliveries and collusion among bidders, according to the Philippine Star.
Duterte said the lowest bid requirement of the Commission on Audit had led to “terribly inferior” projects and encouraged collusion among suppliers.
“What ails the country actually is the lowest bid,” he said during a briefing on Typhoon Ompong. “The lowest bid… is really a purgatory that somehow the government must correct.”
He added: “This insanity of corruption must really stop.”
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