Requesting Entity: Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA)

Issues Concern: BAC Secretariat Members and their Honoraria

Details

Whether the head or any employee under the Internal Audit Service (IAS) office may become a member of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), its Secretariat or the Technical Working Group (TWG); and is allowed to be paid honoraria.

[A] staff of the IAS office may be designated by the head of the procuring entity as a member of the BAC if no conflict of interest exists such as in the case of the Chief Accountant and all accounting personnel. More so, he/she can be designated as a member of the BAC Secretariat or TWG as the prohibition expressly applies only to regular members of the BAC.

Anent the payment of honoraria, as provided under Section 5.6 of Department of Budget and Management (DBM) National Budget Circular (NBC) No. 2004-5A , BAC Secretariat members are entitled to receive their respective honoraria provided that they “are performing the attendant functions in addition to their regular duties in other non-procurement units of the agency.” The DBM Circular also provides that BAC Secretariat members whose positions are in the Procurement Unit of the agency are not entitled to receive honoraria; instead, they may receive payment for the overtime services rendered pursuant to such BAC Secretariat work. Accordingly, it behooves one to show, through the Organizational Structure, Staffing Complement, Position Classification, Position Description, Department Order, Special Designation, or through other means, that the position occupied and functions performed by the BAC Secretariat member is within or without the Procurement Unit.