The Government Procurement Policy Board – Technical Support Office (GPPB-TSO), led by Director General Rowena Candice M. Ruiz, met with representatives of the World Bank, led by Mr. Dominique Aumentado, to discuss key public procurement reform initiatives and areas for continued collaboration in support of the implementation of the New Government Procurement Act (Republic Act No. 12009).

A significant portion of the discussions centered on strengthening transparency, accountability, and evidence-based decision-making in public procurement. Priority was given to the operationalization of the Beneficial Ownership Disclosure framework through interoperable systems and institutional arrangements that will enhance the transparency of suppliers participating in government procurement. Recognizing that transparency is reinforced by public oversight, both sides also discussed the strengthening of Procurement Observation Groups and Procurement Observation Partners by enhancing observer capacity, raising awareness among procuring entities, and leveraging digital monitoring tools to encourage meaningful citizen participation in procurement processes.

The discussions also covered the development of procurement dashboards and analytics platforms, building on the lessons learned from the successful implementation of the DepEd Procurement Information Hub led by Director General Ruiz, to enhance procurement monitoring, generate actionable insights, and support evidence-based policymaking. Looking ahead, both parties also discussed embedding Life Cycle Costing and Transparency in Philippine Road Infrastructure, which will pilot Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Cost Analysis in selected DPWH road projects in Mindanao and use the results to develop national guidelines, green procurement templates, transparency tools, and digital monitoring systems for broader implementation across public infrastructure.

The meeting reaffirmed the longstanding partnership between Director General Ruiz and the World Bank, building on the collaboration that began in 2019 through the Methodology for Assessing Procurement Systems assessment, which comprehensively assessed the Philippine public procurement system and informed subsequent procurement reforms. Both parties expressed their commitment to further strengthening this partnership through continued technical cooperation and knowledge-sharing initiatives to support the effective implementation of the New Government Procurement Act and the continued modernization of the country’s public procurement system.

Also present in the meeting are Atty. Catherine Gonzales, Atty. Melissa Santiago-Yan and Mr. Ronaldo Oblepias, all from the WB.

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