Competitive Bidding was introduced as the default mode of procurement under the Government Procurement Reform Act or Republic Act No. 9184.
Under the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA) or Republic Act No. 12009, competitive bidding is one of the eleven modes of procurement designed to further enhance transparency, ensure fairness, and encourage competition ensuring value for money, procurement efficiency, and timely and quality delivery of public service.
Competitive bidding applies to the procurement of Goods, Infrastructure Projects, and Consulting Services. Section 26 of the NGPA provides the following key steps for competitive bidding, similar to the procedure of RA 9184:
Publication
Pre-bid Conference
Eligibility Screening
Receipt and Opening of Bids
Evaluation of Bids
Post-qualification
Award of Contract
In addition to the existing Single/Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid (S/LCRB) criterion used in RA 9184, the NGPA introduces the “Most Economically Advantageous Responsive Bid” or MEARB as a new award criterion for Goods and Infrastructure Projects. Section 49 of the NGPA provides that MEARB may be used where the consideration of assigning weights for the technical and financial aspects of the project is more appropriate to recognize both the qualitative and economic values of the bid. For Consulting Services, the award criterion remains the same with RA 9184, as Highest Rated Responsive Bid.
The competitive bidding modality helps the government and the Procurement Entities to:
• Ensure Fair Competition: Promotes a level playing field, ensuring that the best value is obtained for public funds.
• Enhance Transparency: Each step of the process is documented and open to scrutiny, which helps prevent corruption, upholds procurement integrity, and builds public trust.
• Improve Efficiency: The structured process helps streamline procurement activities, making it easier to manage and execute large-scale projects.
• Encourage Innovation: Open competition can lead to innovative solutions as different bidders bring diverse ideas and approaches to the table.
The NGPA procedure is similar to that outlined in RA 9184, ensuring consistency and familiarity in the procurement process. The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for this mode will be issued by the Government Procurement Policy Board to provide detailed guidance and ensure effective implementation.
Get the latest NGPA Series via the GPPB TSO website and 𝙉𝙂𝙋𝘼 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙚 (https://ngpa.gppb.gov.ph/) or click this link: https://www.gppb.gov.ph/category/ngpa-series/
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