SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—Due to the continuing risks posed by face-to-face interaction during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said it will now use online platforms to conduct public bidding for big-ticket projects.
SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said this will apply to all the agency’s Bids and Awards Committees (BACs) in charge of the procurement of various goods and services worth P50 million and above.
“All future bidding processes will be conducted via online platforms and will be broadcast live through social media,” Eisma announced on Friday, adding that going online will ensure transparency, efficiency, and safety.
“This way, the bidding process becomes faster, more transparent and credible, and at the same time it keeps participants secure from the Covid-19 virus.”
For this purpose, the SBMA created the Facebook page “SBMA Procurement Service,” which will be managed by the various BACs, Eisma said.
“Putting the actual proceedings available for public viewing via social media would be one huge stride in SBMA’s efforts toward greater transparency. This will further strengthen the system,” she added.
Michael Quintos, SBMA Deputy Administrator for Legal Affairs, also said the move to bid projects online is in accordance with Administrative Order (AO) 34 signed by President Duterte on October 23.
Quintos pointed out that while AO 34 required all government offices to bid big infrastructure projects online, the SBMA went one step further by using social-media platforms to go live during biddings to enable public viewing.
In pre-pandemic times, and for projects worth P50 million and above, the SBMA Bids and Awards Committee already opened bids in the presence of observers from the Commission on Audit and disinterested nongovernment organizations to ensure transparency, Quinto also said.
The SBMA also posted pre-bid announcements on the SBMA web site and other online platforms on top of the required publication in newspapers of the invitation to bid even before AO 34.
Eisma said the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic practically pushed the SBMA to step up the adoption of new systems to address new requirements and changing protocols.
Among the online transactions introduced by the SBMA over the years are electronic billing and payment, online filing for regulatory requirements, and online job application and medical consultation.
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Article and Photo originally posted by Business Mirror last November 12, 2020 and written by Henry Empeño.
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