Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Through PS-PhilGEPS Streamlines IT Solutions Procurement in the Government

PS-PhilGEPS Streamlines
[L-R]: Mary Ann E. Jose, Sales Manager, First Data Corp; Ferdie Saputil, Public Sector Lead, Microsoft Philippines, Atty. Tomas Syquia, Executive Director, DBM-PS, Juan G. Chua, President, Wordtext Systems, Inc.

PS-PhilGEPS enters agreement with Microsoft partners, implements new way of acquiring technology goods for government

June 17, 2015, MANILA, PHILIPPINES –The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) through the Procurement Service-PhilGEPS (PS-PhilGEPS) announced today that it is entering a consignment agreement with Microsoft Partners namely Wordtext Systems, Inc. and First Datacorp to streamline the procurement of IT solutions in the government.

The agreement will bring a number of benefits to the government including cost-efficiency, standardization, and transparency.

With the new procurement system, government agencies and local government units (LGU) can now simply go to PS-PhilGEPS to buy their software and hardware requirements without going through the tedious competitive bidding process. Apart from convenience, Microsoft products and services have been pre-negotiated by DBM so government agencies and LGUs are assured that they are getting the lowest standard price whether they are a small or big organization.

This consignment agreement will help drive standardization in the government. In a bidding process, some suppliers may be disloyal about costs and authenticity of the products and services being offered. By dealing directly with Microsoft Partners, PS-PhilGEPS guarantees the government agencies and LGUs that they are getting the latest version and genuine licenses of Windows or Office 365.

The agreement will also promote transparency as the public can view the prices of the products and services on www.procurementservice.gov.ph  anytime.

“The bidding process in the government takes about a minimum of six months to complete.Today, they can simply check www.procurementservice.gov.ph (Procurement Service’s website) to view the list of Microsoft products and services and procure through us. We also help the agencies scope their requirements and discuss the options available so they are properly guided,” said Atty. Jose Tomas Syquia, PS-PhilGEPS Executive Director IV.

Government agencies and LGUs can procure a wide array of Windows licenses, and popular Windows 10-ready devices available in the market today (PCs, 2-in-1s, smartphones) from Microsoft partners and manufacturers. They can even avail of Microsoft Premier Services, which allow buyers from the government to access dedicated teams that are on-call to provide immediate assistance if IT issues arise. The service is convertible meaning, if the agency is not able to consume all the hours it paid for, it can convert it to any other service of its choice.

“The consignment agreement is an equalizer as it creates an opportunity for the government to access modern-day devices and services that top corporations in the Philippines are using. By using Microsoft technologies, government employees can increase their productivity which can lead to an improved quality of public service,” said Mr. Ferdie Saputil, Public Sector Director, Microsoft Philippines.”