Requesting Entity: Province of Iloilo

Issues Concern: Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) Registration Certificate

Details

Whether the procuring entity can again recommend an award to a bidder with a previously expired PhilGEPS registration certificate, but which has since been renewed.

x x x Section 8.5.1 of the revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184 provides that a bidder should maintain its registration current and updated in accordance with the provisions of the IRR in order that it may be allowed to participate in a procurement undertaken by any procuring entity.

[U]nder Section 34.2 of the revised IRR during the submission of bids, it is prudent for the procuring entity to request for the latest and current legal documents to ascertain, validate, and verify the authenticity and currency of the documents and establish the eligibility and responsiveness of the bidder to the requirements, specifically prior to the post-qualification of the bidder with the LCB/HRB.

Based on the foregoing, x x x, the Province of Iloilo-BAC cannot recommend the award of contract to the bidder with the HRB if it failed to submit a current and updated PhilGEPS registration certificate within three (3) calendar days from its receipt of the notice from the BAC. Its belated submission of a renewed PhilGEPS registration certificate does not cure the defect inasmuch as the mandatory and non-extendible period of three (3) calendar days within which to comply with the requirement has already lapsed.