THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the new procurement law will require bidder conferences to be recorded on video for procurement exercises beyond a certain value.
“To enhance the transparency of the procurement process, the Procuring Entity shall keep a video recording of all procurement-related conferences for Competitive Bidding,” according to the IRR, which was released on Feb. 10.
The New Government Procurement Act IRR was approved and finalized in a meeting led by the DBM and the Government Procurement Policy Board’s Technical Support Office on Feb. 4.
The sessions to be recorded include the pre-procurement conference, the pre-bid conference, the bid opening, and other Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) meetings.
“All procurement-related conferences for Competitive Bidding shall not commence without a video recording initiated by the BAC,” it said.
The DBM also said that the procuring entity should livestream activities on its website, social media account, or any other form of live-streaming service.
The video recording only applies to the procurement of goods valued at above P10 million, infrastructure above P20 million, and consulting services exceeding P5 million, when using Competitive Bidding as the mode of procurement.
The procuring entity should also ensure that it has copies of the recordings stored for at least five years, to be made available to the public upon request and payment of a fee.
It also said that when national security is involved, the head of the procuring entity will decide whether the procurement activities are recorded or not, it added. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante