PS-DBM cancels e-procurement platform membership of Discaya firms

The Department of Budget and Management's Procurement Service (PS-DBM) has cancelled the membership of nine construction companies owned and controlled by contractor Sarah Discaya in the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS).

In a statement on Friday, PS-DBM said the cancellation of PhilGEPS membership of the following Discaya-linked companies takes effect immediately following the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board's (PCAB) move to revoke the contractor licenses of the firms in question:

• St. Gerrard Construction Gen. Contractor & Dev't Corporation
• Alpha & Omega Gen. Contractor & Dev't Corporation
• St. Timothy Construction Corporation
• Amethyst Horizon Builders And Gen. Contractor & Dev't Corp.
• St. Matthew General Contractor & Development Corporation
• Great Pacific Builders And General Contractor, Inc.
• YPR General Contractor And Construction Supply, Inc.
• Waymaker OPC
• Elite General Contractor And Development Corp.

"Pursuant to the implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 12009, otherwise known as the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA), the PCAB license is among the eligibility documents required for contractors to obtain PhilGEPS Platinum Certificate or Platinum Membership—failure to maintain a valid and updated version of which results in inability to participate in government procurement projects," PS-DBM 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.

PhilGEPS, on the other hand, is the single centralized electronic portal that serves as the primary and definitive source of information on government procurement.

In its Resolution No. 075, series of 2025, issued September 1, PCAB, citing Discaya's admission on Monday of ownership of the nine companies in question which have participated in bidding of government projects during a Senate blue ribbon committee hearing, resolved to revoke immediately the licenses of the nine companies controlled by Discaya.

The contractors' accreditation body noted that Discaya's admission "establishes a scheme of joint or multiple bidding participation designed to influence the outcome of public bidding, manipulate results and corner public projects thereby undermining transparency, fairness, and competition in violation of procurement laws and licensing requirements."

Moreover, PCAB said that after thorough evaluation of the statements made by Discaya, it concluded that "the continued accreditation of these corporations is inimical to public interest, industry integrity, and government procurement transparency."

PS-DBM said that upon revocation of the PCAB licenses, it notified the nine companies "of the cancellation of their Platinum Membership."

"Amid the investigation, PS-DBM remains steadfast in upholding the principles of transparency and fairness to ensure that public interest and industry integrity are at the core of searching for the truth," PS-DBM said. — VDV, GMA Integrated News