PS-DBM suspends procurement of non-common use supplies, equipment for gov't agencies

The Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) is suspending the procurement of non-common use supplies and equipment (Non-CSE) for government agencies until further notice.

“I issued a directive suspending the procurement of non-common use supplies and equipment, effective immediately,” PS-DBM Executive Director Dennis Santiago said in a statement.

This means that PS-DBM will not accept requests for Non-CSE procurement until further notice. 

“This will allow us to focus on the fulfillment of our primary mandate, which is to procure CSEs,” Santiago said.

PS-DBM is mandated to procure common-use office supplies, materials, and equipment such as, but not limited to, ballpens, papers, stapler, paper clips, folders, and the like for all government agencies.

“Tatapusin na lamang po ‘yung procurement ng mga non-CSE na ongoing o nasa pipeline na hanggang sa sila’y makumpleto. Pero hanggang doon na lang po iyon. Pagkatapos noon, wala na. Lahat ng procurement, CSE na lang,” Santiago said.

(We will only finish the ongoing non-CSE procurement in the pipeline. After that, all procurement will only focus on CSE.)

The suspension of procurement of NCSE came amid the controversy surrounding the Department of Education's procurement of laptops for teachers in order to implement distance learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

PS-DBM has sought the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) assistance in investigating the acquisition of laptops for the DepEd. 

The Commission on Audit (COA) had flagged the DepEd's purchase of laptops for teachers, describing the purchased equipment as "pricey and outdated" as there were more affordable and better options available.

In its annual audit, COA said the purchase of the more expensive laptops resulted in the procurement of fewer units, depriving over 28,000 teachers of the benefit

The audit report said that the 68,500 laptops that were supposed to be procured were reduced to 39,583 units mainly due to the huge increase in the estimated cost - from P35,046 to P58,300, anchored on the DBM-PS' recommendation, which was duly accepted by the DepEd.

State auditors said the DepEd settled and agreed with the price and technical specifications provided by PS-DBM.

Vice President and Department of Education Secretary Sara Duterte has ordered an investigation into the procurement of the laptops. —KBK, GMA News