Driven by its thrust to institute procurement reforms which include the digital transformation of the public procurement process, the Procurement Service - Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) took part in this year’s Conference on Public Sector Productivity organized by the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) — the implementing arm of the Asian Productivity Organization’s (APO) Center of Excellence on Public Sector Productivity (COE-PSP) — on December 5, 2023 in Pasay City.
The day-long activity bannered the theme, “Reimagining Public Service Delivery in the Digital Age,” providing various government agencies with a holistic view of the current state and future trajectory of digital transformation in the Philippine public sector through discussions on electronic government platforms and portals, blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, information infrastructure, cybersecurity, and data sharing, governance, privacy, and protection, among others. These topics were tackled by experts from the public, private, and academic sectors.
The participants, both online and on-site, were primarily composed of government officials and technical staff working on digital government programs, national innovation systems, and national and local development. Throughout the sessions, which included resource presentations and case studies, the audience was made aware of the existing digital technologies and their application in the government’s delivery of public services.
More than the familiarity with relevant developments in the country’s digital landscape as of late, this year’s conference — its 7th iteration — also focused on how government agencies can adopt best practices to actually incorporate digital solutions into the fulfillment of their respective mandates and citizen-centric services.
For its part, PS-DBM is presently modernizing the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS), the single, centralized electronic portal that serves as the primary and definitive source of information on government procurement. As among the agency’s 12-point agenda, the PhilGEPS modernization entails the eventual launching of the eMarketplace, an e-commerce site for government agencies to procure supplies and equipment offered by registered merchants.
The program capped off with a call to action activity, highlighting the participants’ key takeaways and plans that shall form part of a roadmap for a more efficient, citizen-focused, and digitally advanced Philippine public sector. PS-DBM recognizes the crucial role of digitalization as an enabler for a seamless communication between government agencies, allowing the stakeholders to easily access information and services by simplifying and streamlining the processes.