‘Add to cart’ initiative seen to yield P320 million

April 29, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Budget and Management (DBM)’s “add to cart” initiative is expected to generate at least P320 million in sales this year as the government moves for a more efficient procurement process.

During the East Asia and the Pacific International Public Procurement Conference yesterday, Procurement Service-DBM executive director Genmaries Entredicho-Caong said the government’s eMarketplace could yield some P320 million worth of orders for 2025.

As of last week, the eMarketplace had received 86 orders with an estimated value of P80 million. Of that, 15 transactions have already been delivered, amounting to P31 million.

The eMarketplace is designed to modernize the procurement process, allowing agencies to conveniently “add to cart” essential goods and services, ensuring timely and cost-effective transactions.

Currently, the platform is in a pilot phase, with motor vehicles included in the order menu. Entredicho-Caong said the 86 orders were mostly multipurpose vehicles and passenger vans.

“We are getting the agencies with approved authority to purchase motor vehicles because that’s one of the requirements,” Entredicho-Caong said.

For now, only two motor vehicle companies – Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. and Cross Country Motors Inc. – have been included in the eMarketplace.

“Once we add more merchants, we expect to have more sales especially for agencies whose requirements are in the brands that we have yet to carry,” she said.

Over the coming months, the PS-DBM will add cloud computing services, airline tickets and software licenses into the eMarketplace as part of its expansion.

It will also add information and communications technology equipment and other office supplies such as printers, inks and paper products.

For her part, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman maintained that early and efficient procurement of goods and services will further boost the economy as public spending accounts for 20 percent of gross domestic product.

For one, 30 percent of the government’s capital outlay goes to infrastructure expenses that have a significant multiplier effect.

“One project can provide a lot of jobs around the community and small businesses,” Pangandaman said.

“About 70 percent of our budget goes through public procurement. The faster we procure, the quicker the economy can grow with projects being finished on time as well. This will eventually give us the fiscal space for other programs,” she said.

The eMarketplace is one of the many components of the New Government Procurement Act that aims to modernize and augment public procurement processes in the country by addressing existing loopholes and inefficiencies.

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