As part of its transformational policies and reforms anchored on its 12-point Agenda, the Procurement Service - Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) is continuously studying and upgrading the list of its Common-use Supplies and Equipment (CSE).
Following a series of exploratory and consultative meetings with three major Cloud Service Providers (CSP) — namely, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, and Microsoft (Azure) — which began in early January 2023, PS-DBM will soon introduce Cloud Computing Services (CCS) as part of its product line.
The proposal, when finalized, would allow client-agencies to purchase and obtain cloud storage, computing services, virtual machines, databases, networking, and software, among others, directly from PS-DBM. These tools and applications come with various advantages for organizations such as cost savings, increased productivity, speed and efficiency, performance, and security.
The proposal to include CCS in the list of CSEs was first presented to the Government Procurement Policy Board on 24 August 2023. On 6 September 2023, PS-DBM Team met with representatives from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to tackle technical and operational concerns. Having successfully addressed the concerns, PS-DBM is now waiting for the GPPB’s approval.
Present during the meetings were CSP representatives and PS-DBM officials led by Executive Director V, Atty. Dennis Santiago. In one of the discussions, dated October 11, Director for the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) Group, Dr. Maria Teresita Semana, presented the proposed procurement methodology, procedural guidelines, and payment process. The proposed portal for the common CCS was also explored. The inputs for the consignment model were likewise covered. This was followed by more consultations, from October 25 to 27, where the CSPs presented their respective business models.
These developments ensure that the proposal is grounded on the knowledge and best practices of industry experts. With comments, suggestions, and recommendations from CSPs, PS-DBM seeks to secure the most advantageous contract for the government and, consequently, provide its client-agencies with the best value for their money.
The proposed inclusion of CCS, which comes alongside the plans to reintroduce Government Fares Agreement and Motor Vehicles as CSE, goes beyond the expansion of PS-DBM Catalogue. This initiative also encompasses the efforts geared towards digital transformation spearheaded by the modernization of PhilGEPS — which is ultimately aimed and focused at improving the public procurement systems and processes in government.