Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) through its Technical Support Office (TSO) has partnered with Cebu Normal University (CNU) to implement its Professionalization program to train Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) members, secretariats, Technical Working Group (TWG) and others on procurement processes.
According to Dr. Rodin Paspasan, BAC Vice Chair, CNU was chosen by GPPB-TSO among the State Universities and Colleges (SUC) in Region VII to host the program in the region.
The professionalization program in line with GPPB’s mandate to ensure proper implementation of R.A. 9184, otherwise known as Government Procurement Reform Act, aims to capacitate government workers and the private sector on procurement processes through a certificate course program.
29 participants have finished and passed the Basic or Level I of Public Procurement Specialist Certification Course given by GPPB-TSO and Department of Budget and Management (DBM). 12 of which are from CNU administrative council, admin staff, and faculty. The other participants come from BAC members of state universities and national government agencies including DBM Region VII, Bohol Island State University (BISU), Cebu Technological University (CTU), Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and Department of Education (DepEd) Cebu City.
A graduation ceremony and exit conference took place last October 16, 2019 at the Eva Macapagal Memorial Arts (EMMA) Center after participants of the said program have completed seven modules taken on the month of August and have passed the exam on September this year designed by GPPB-TSO.
Atty. Rowena Candice Ruiz, GPPB-TSO Executive Director graced the event to congratulate the graduates. She said that it is incumbent for GPPB-TSO to make procurement practical and relatable, and challenged the graduates the same.
Ruiz has acknowledged the difficulty of finding technical specifications in procurement and said that they are thinking ways for government to come up with the most advantageous bid that does not necessarily mean to be the cheapest.
She reminded to make procurement responsive because “for every procurement lies a procurement project in government … to provide better lives for every Filipino.”
There are still two more levels; intermediate and advanced that the graduates have to take to fully finish the training and be called a Procurement specialist.
Curriculum Integration
Paspasan said that the program is also intended for the Public Governance program of the College of Arts and Sciences for it to be integrated in the curriculum of those taking Masters in Public Administration and to be taught by Public Governance Professors.
Based on the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between GPPB-TSO (represented by former DBM Secretary Hon. Benjamin Diokno) and CNU (represented by President Filomena Dayagbil), in two years, “CNU shall undertake to develop and capacitate its faculty to teach and handle the Program as determined and approved by the GPPB through the GPPB-TSO.”
Paspasan said that the training has enhanced BAC members’ knowledge through the different cases discussed. The intermediate training is scheduled on the first quarter next year. (JDF)
