Gov’t offices urged: Buy supplies at DBM depot

By Gary Pekas

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- Mountain Province government offices were urged to purchase supplies at Dept. of Budget and Management procurement service depot here at lower rates.

This, after the provincial government and DBM procurement service department launched the depot Sept. 14.

The depot was relocated to the ground floor of the multi-purpose building, here at the back of the Land Bank of the Philippines Bontoc Branch.

During simple launching ceremonies, Gov. Bonifacio C. Lacwasan, Jr., said “We welcome this latest development, as the depot shall be more able to provide needed supplies and materials for government offices in the province, at cheaper prices, while simplifying procurement processes as well. As office supplies and materials needed by government offices increase, we expect the depot, under the supervision of the Province, shall improve its services and thus help these offices provide better service to our common clientele, the people of the province.”

Previously, the procurement service in the province was a sub-depot of the Benguet depot.

However, in a memorandum of agreement between the provincial government and DBM signed recently, the sub-depot became a full-fledged depot.

In the MOA, with the province would be providing administrative supervision, marketing and sales support.

Depots all over the country were established by the DBM pursuant to DBM Executive Order 359, series of 1989.

This EO was later supported by Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act.

These depots are meant to provide commonly used supplies, materials and equipment requirements of various government offices.

Since its existence in 2008, the Mountain Province sub-depot has provided a source of supplies, materials and equipment to many government offices in the province, enabling the depot to earn more than P2.2 million from total sales of almost P39 million.

Pauline Manogan, PS Mountain Province depot manager, said prices of the goods in their warehouse may be as much as fifty percent lower than similar products found in commercial stores, and thus provides opportunities for government offices to save expenses for supplies and materials.

Manogan urged all government offices to take advantage of the depot for their supplies, as it simplifies the procurement process, since it does away with the need to canvass for supplies available in the depot. Ms. Manogan noted some municipal local government prefer to get supplies from the Benguet depot, specially recently when stocks of the MP depot were not being replenished by the PS-DBM recently pending the MOA with the province.

She added offices will save on transportation costs if they procure supplies from the MP depot.

The location – the office and warehouse - of the Procurement Service Office has been transferred a few times, until it was finally relocated to its present location.