In line with its commitment to the continual improvement of its services and further capacitation of its personnel, the 蝌蚪视频 (PCAF) conducted an in-house training seminar titled “Alignment to New Government Procurement Act (RA No. 12009).”
The three-day capability-building activity was conducted from June 30 to July 2, 2026, at the Apacible Hall Conference Rooms in Quezon City.
The training gathered around 50 key PCAF employees, including members of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), the BAC Secretariat, the BAC Technical Working Group, top PCAF officials, and various procurement focal persons from its Operating Units.
To provide professional guidance on the legislative updates of the new RA, PCAF invited Government Procurement Policy Board-Technical Support Office resource persons, Dianne Ibias, Philippe Cortes, and Dr. Abrian Joy Orencia, who expertly unpacked the key differences between the old procurement framework and the newly implemented law.
Emphasizing the critical nature of the activity, PCAF OIC Deputy Executive Director Cyril Soliaban said that procurement is not just a process, it is an organizational responsibility.
鈥淧rocurement starts long before BAC receives the documents. It starts with proper planning, identifying the real needs of our offices, and preparing complete, well-thought-out specifications. Every peso we spend is taxpayers鈥� money and every procurement decision reflects our integrity as public servants,鈥� he added.
Key updates from RA No. 12009
The RA No. 12009 was enacted in July 2024 and serves as a comprehensive revision of the 21-year-old RA 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act of 2003.
The training sessions discussed how the new Act introduces flexibility, modern technologies, and a 鈥渇it-for-purpose鈥� approach.
1. Paradigm shift: “Fit-for-Purpose” vs. One-Size-Fits-All
鈥婳ld Provision (RA 9184): Competitive Public Bidding was the absolute default mode. Alternative methods (like direct contracting or negotiated procurement) were heavily restricted, strictly regulated, and often treated with intense suspicion by auditors.
鈥婲ew Provision (RA 12009): Mandates a Fit-for-Purpose procurement approach. It gives procuring entities the explicit flexibility to select from a broader variety of procurement modalities tailored to the specific nature, risk, and strategy of the project, without compromising transparency.
鈥�2. Shift in award criterion: Lowest price vs. best value
鈥婳ld Provision (RA 9184): Goods and infrastructure projects were rigidly awarded using the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid (LCRB). This often forced agencies to buy the cheapest items available, which frequently resulted in subpar quality, frequent breakdowns, or delayed infrastructure projects.
鈥婲ew Provision (RA 12009): Introduces the concept of the Most Economically Advantageous Responsive Bid (MEARB) for goods and infrastructure. This allows agencies to assign weights to both technical or qualitative attributes and financial aspects, ensuring they get the best overall value, not just the lowest sticker price.
鈥�3. Focus on lifecycle costing and sustainability
鈥婳ld Provision (RA 9184): Green procurement and long-term costs were virtually absent in the old text. Evaluation only considered the upfront purchase price.
鈥婲ew Provision (RA 12009): Formally institutionalizes Lifecycle Cost Analysis and Green Public Procurement (GPP). Procuring entities must now evaluate the long-term environmental impact, operational costs, maintenance, and eventual disposal of a project or asset at the end of its useful life.
鈥�4. Modernization and streamlining
鈥婳ld Provision (RA 9184): While it introduced the PhilGEPS system, it was designed in an era of manual, physical submissions, long face-to-face BAC meetings, and restrictive thresholds.
鈥婲ew Provision (RA 12009): Heavily pushes digital integration, explicit use of emerging technologies, and Open Contracting Practices (making data fully shareable across all stages). It also explicitly permits electronic BAC meetings and adjusts thresholds, such as increasing the Small Value Procurement (SVP) threshold up to PhP2,000,000 to drastically reduce bureaucratic delays for minor purchases.
鈥�5. Professionalization of Procurement Personnel
鈥�Old Provision (RA 9184): Members of the BAC and Secretariat were designated to perform these as an “add-on” task to their regular government duties, often leading to limited specialized procurement expertise.
鈥婲ew Provision (RA 12009): Explicitly introduces Procurement Professionalization. It treats procurement as a specialized track within the civil service, providing structured training and capacity-building to create dedicated, qualified procurement practitioners.
Through this procurement training initiative, PCAF commits to ensure its procurement arm remains highly competent, agile, and legally compliant as it steers the agency toward more transparent and high-impact public service. | Jezebel Campaniel
