MANILA – In the days leading up to his second State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Rodrigo Roa Duterte signed Executive Order 34 streamlining the rules on government contracts’ approval.
EO 34 further amended the procedures on the review and approval of government contracts. For government contracts entered through alternative methods of procurement, the Head of the Procuring Entity may now proceed with the alternative methods of procurement provided that for contracts involving an amount of at least P500-million, the Head of the Procuring Entity should issue a certification under oath that the contract falls within the exceptions from public bidding, faithfully complies with all applicable laws, and is beneficial to the government.
In the previous setup, the procurement head was required to first obtain approval of the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) in order to resort to any alternative methods of procurement.
For government contracts requiring Presidential action or approval, the contracts should be submitted with complete documentation to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) within seven days from approval by the Head of Procuring Entity for review and evaluation, the EO added.
