USAID Enhances Philippine Department of Information & Communications Technology in Planning and Procuring ICT Infrastructure Programs

(Top) The first batch of DICT officials and personnel attended the refresher workshop on November 29 to December 3, 2022. (Lower left) DICT vendors and suppliers attended the FGDs. (Lower right) DICT Undersecretary Anthony Tan answered questions during the FGDs.

More than 500 officials and personnel of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) central and regional offices and attached bureaus gained a deeper understanding of the Government Procurement Act or R.A. 9184 through a series of workshops conducted by USAID’s Better Access and Connectivity (BEACON) Activity from November 29 to December 13, 2022 at the Great Eastern Hotel in Quezon City.

The workshops, facilitated by BEACON’s grantee Research, Education, and Institutional Development (REID) Foundation, were complemented with focus group discussions (FGDs) with DICT vendors and suppliers. The workshops and FGDs sought to solicit inputs and apply learnings to collaborate among concerned stakeholders for the drafting of the DICT Customized Procurement Manual following the Knowledge Sharing and Action Planning on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for the ICT Sector held in November. DICT Undersecretary for Infrastructure Management and Support Services Manuel Anthony Tan, Assistant Secretary for Regional Development Maria Teresa Camba, and Procurement Service Director Philippe Cortes led the workshop discussions. Some key takeaways from the discussions include the creation of a technical working group to avoid the frequent change in signatories that causes delay in the procurement process, and to simplify the process of cost-benefit analysis and approval of renewals by providing clear and timebound guidelines of the procurement process.

Once completed, the manual will provide a set of clear and operational policies and procedures and serve as common reference for the agency and its contractors, consultants, and suppliers in the procurement of DICT contracts in accordance with the provisions of R.A. 9184 and its implementing rules and regulations. USAID’s BEACON is working with DICT in the development of the manual to address limitations in institutional and staff capacity and expedite the procurement of vital ICT infrastructure through various funding modalities and strategic PPP arrangements.

USAID is strengthening the Philippines’ digital ecosystem by fostering effective planning, design, procurement, and implementation of ICT infrastructure programs.