A procurement coordination meeting was recently held by the Project Support Office (PSO) Procurement Unit of the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) North Luzon Cluster with its counterparts from the Regional Project Coordination Offices (CAR, 1, 2 and 3) from June 22 – 24, 2022 at Subic, Zambales.

According to PSO Procurement Specialist, Engr. Mary Ann Capillo, the meeting was held to tackle matters that are crucial in the overall implementation of the various subprojects in the cluster, such as the presentation of the new operational manuals for the procurement of both I-REAP and I-BUILD subprojects under the Additional Financing 2, among other things.

“This coordination meeting was intended to present the guidelines for the procurement of subprojects to be implemented under AF-2 and to discuss among ourselves the current status of the procurement of all the ongoing subprojects per region,” Capillo said.

“This will also serve as an avenue for the entire procurement unit team in the cluster to elevate issues and concerns and formulate plans and strategies to efficiently and effectively execute the procurement process of subprojects,” she added.

Aside from the procurement guidelines for I-BUILD (Module 1) and I-REAP (Module 2), the findings during the conducted post-procurement review (PPR) by National Project Coordination Office and PSO, updates on the agreement with NPCO during the mission, and financial management for enterprise and infrastructure subprojects were presented and discussed.

Meanwhile, in her message, PSO Deputy Project Director Elma Mananes expressed her gratitude for the efforts of the procurement unit and acknowledged the importance of its role in ensuring the smooth process of subproject implementation.

“The procurement unit holds a crucial role in facilitating the timely acquisition of goods, works and services in support of the implementation of the Project. I hope with this coordination meeting, everyone will have a common mindset and goal of ensuring a smooth and efficient procurement process within the cluster,” Mananes said.

Also in attendance to participate in the activity were representatives from the PSO I-REAP Component. (Ericson M. Guiao, PSO North Luzon InfoACE)