DBM chief announces approval of NGPA IRR, key anti-corruption move
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman announces during a meeting with the Makati Business Club and other members of the business community on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, that the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 12009, or New Government Procurement Act, have already been approved. (Photo courtesy of Makati Business Club Facebook)
MANILA, Philippines — The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the “biggest anti-corruption measure” in the country have officially been approved, according to Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman.
She announced this during a meeting with the Makati Business Club and other business community members on the sidelines of the 2025 Open Government Partnership Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting in Taguig City on Wednesday.
“I am honored to share that the NGPA [New Government Procurement Act] signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in July 2024 is now hailed as the biggest anti-corruption measure in the country’s recent history,” she said in the meeting.
“And I am happy to share that the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the NGPA have already been approved just yesterday,” the official added.
The approval of the IRR of the NGPA, or Republic Act No. 12009, was held in a meeting led by the Government Procurement Policy Board—Technical Support Office on Tuesday.
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Pangandaman said, “As we all know, public procurement is one of the governance aspects most prone to corruption, not just in the Philippines but across the globe. So, even before joining the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), I knew how important it was to update our 20-year-old Government Procurement Reform Act.”
“A World Bank report even states that better procurement strategies and policies could save 26 to 29 percent of a government’s total procurement spending,” she added.
The NGPA was signed into law by Marcos on July 20, 2024. The harmonized version of Senate Bill No. 2593 and House Bill No. 9648 aims to address loopholes in the current government procurement system for a more economical and responsive process.
One of the significant features of the NGPA is the provision of 11 new modalities of procurement that will give government agencies greater flexibility in choosing ways to procure goods and services.
Moreover, the new law introduces the “Most Economically Advantageous Responsive Bid,” which evaluates both the qualitative and economic value of a proposal, as opposed to the current practice of selecting the “Lowest Calculated and Responsive Bid.”
