Assessing the Transparency Practices in Public Bidding of Philippine Rice Research Institute in the Philippines

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to describe the observance of the principle of transparency in government procurement as required by Republic Act 9184 also known as Government Procurement Act (GPRA) of 2003. The measurement of observance is in the domains of the observance of procedures on public bidding, participation of stake holders in the bidding proceedings and public access to bidding information. The study used the descriptive qualitative method of research. Interview was held and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was resorted to undertake member checking and triangulation of responses. Purposive sampling method was used to select participants to the study. The researcher interviewed 6 participants from the Procurement and Property Management Division-BAC (Bids and Awards Committee) Secretariat Unit of Philippine Rice Research Institute who are in- charge of public bidding activities of the institution. The study found that there is observance of transparency in the procurement process conducted by the agency and the information on the bidding activities are highly accessible and downloadable through the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and agency official website. The standard process in the implementation of the procurement activities embodied in the Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 9184 is strictly observed. It is recommended that the same evaluation be done in some other government entities to determine observance of policy on procurement in the government sector.

Keywords: Transparency, Government Procurement Public Bidding, RA9184, the Philippines, Public Administration

DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/9-2-06