DEPARTMENT of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman graced the inauguration ceremony of the new Government Procurement Policy Board-Technical Support Office (GPPB-TSO) building on March 21, 2024, coinciding with the celebration of the World Sustainable Procurement Day.

"Championing sustainability and functionality, this establishment has likewise been designed to meet the evolving needs of our organization and to serve as a hub for the advancement of government procurement policies that are not only effective but also responsive to the challenges of the times," she said. Pangandaman also serves as the GPPB chairman.

The new GPPB-TSO building, which stands at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City, flaunts sustainability features, such as the recycling of sewage water into garden water, the utilization of gravity distribution on the overhead water storage, and the use of QR codes linked to the elevators for security and efficiency.

"Indeed, this building symbolizes the boundless possibilities in government procurement. The GPPB-TSO has come a long way, as seen in the many innovations and reforms in public procurement," GPPB-TSO Executive Director Rowena Candice Ruiz said.

Along with Ruiz, Pangandaman also led the ceremonial signing of the commitment wall with state universities and colleges for the continuous implementation of the Public Procurement Specialist Certification Course.

New partners from private higher education institutions and private sector organizations were also welcomed as the government expanded the implementation of the certificate course, which has already led to the graduation of 3,775 procurement professionals as of December 2023.

Under the leadership of Pangandaman, the DBM consistently advocates for several key transformational initiatives, such as the amendment to the decades-old Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA), which is expected to result in greater efficiency in the implementation of projects and purchase of goods and supplies.