Title:
PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF REPUBLIC ACT 9184 IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

Authors:
Ellaine B. Iyog

Abstract:
Republic Act 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), also known as the Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA) 2003, guide the Philippine government procurement system to ensure transparency, competitiveness, and accountability in the government's procurement of goods, infrastructure projects, and consulting services. This study aimed to determine the practices and challenges in the implementation of Republic Act 9184 in the local government units in Oroquita City. This study used a quantitative and descriptive survey design to assess the practice and challenges of implementing Republic Act 9184 in selected local government units in Misamis Occidental. The study's respondents included members of the Bids and Awards Committee, BAC-TWG, and Provisional BAC members (unit heads). The researcher adapted a standardized questionnaire from the Dagohoy et al. (2023) study. The results showed that local government units in Misamis Occidental rated their government procurement practices as "always practiced," indicating a high level of consistency. The Bids and Awards Committee faced significant challenges during the procurement process, placing it in the "much challenging" category. The researcher highly recommends that Local government units and municipalities may continue to prioritize and enhance their use of electronic procurement methods. Second, to address the issue of substandard items, the committee could enhance their supplier vetting process to select only reputable and high-quality vendors for procurement. Lastly, the committee should conduct regular reviews of past procurement projects to identify areas for improvement and continuously improve the procurement process.

Keywords:
practices, challenges, RA 9184, local government unit