‘Green procurement’ review underway
The Department of Budget and Management’s Procurement Service on Sunday announced the establishment of a panel that will review the current process of green public procurement in the country.
PS-DBM executive director Dennis Santiago said the newly-formed Inter-Agency Technical Specifications Review Committee will be tapped by the agency to implement the GPP in the country.
The GPP is a process whereby public authorities seek to procure goods, and services and works with a reduced environmental impact throughout their life cycle when compared to goods, services and works with the same primary function that would otherwise be procured.
Santiago said the IATSRC will allow the agency to assess, review and evaluate existing Common-Use Supplies and Equipment Technical Specifications to adhere to and comply with local and international standards.
“The establishment of an IATSRC is one of the reform initiatives we spearheaded in PS-DBM to take government procurement to a sustainable track,” Santiago said.
He said the panel will also take into account the environmental, social, and economic aspects of public acquisition, alongside Sustainable Development Goal 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production.
“GPP provides an opportunity for government agencies to infuse environmentally friendly parameters and requirements in the products that we procure, and in the process avoid the use of toxic substances; prioritize alternative green materials; reduce energy and water consumption during use; and recycle at the end of the useful life of the product,” he added.
Meanwhile, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman commended the plan, citing how green procurement also means “responsible procurement.”
“Integrating green choices in public procurement puts us closer to our ultimate goal of ensuring sustainable management and use of natural resources by 2030,” Pangandaman said.
Apart from PS-DBM, the members of the IATSRC include the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Information and Communications Technology, and the Department of Energy.