II.

Conceptual Framework

The Model as shown in Figure 3 and which the milieu of public procurement

management is shall take off from the current system which is being set off by standard

procedures mandated by the national government and those similar measures initiated by

the City Government. Since these are given measures, what shall be done is just to see to

it that the contemporary patterns of systems and procedures in public spending shall be

conscientiously followed. Moreover, the latter shall be nurtured through regular

assessment of their applicability over time. As such, there shall be developed coping

mechanisms in order that the adaptability of these patterns of systems and procedures

will not wane over the years. Such coping mechanisms can be expressed in terms of the

operational control structures as discussed herein. After instituting a solid foundation

for the City’s public procurement system, there shall be ensured the development of a

culture of responsible and accountable public spending as the building block of public

service delivery. At this level, it shall be noted that it is not at all learning the intricacies

of the technical aspect of the process. That, the procurement process is not at all times

setting up of standard rules and procedures and seeing to it that these are strictly

followed. In view hereof, there shall be integrated the technical, human and cultural

dimensions in the procurement process. By technical dimension, it refers not necessarily

on how the transactions are to be handled for these are given variables that logically

takes place in any operation, be it immediately or later. What is being emphasized here is

the capability to know how the transaction accumulates at a specific period of time and

how to manage it. The tool here is a regular time and motion analysis and studying the
procurement environment that include the requisition patterns of the beneficiaries of

goods and services. This is to know better the perspective of the set of transactions at

that particular period of time.

Actually, this is not a hard thing to do considering that existing records will help much.

Simply stated, this means that those handling the processing of procurement documents

shall not be locked up with the voluminous transactions that may be mounting up over

time which make them just contented with doing clerical works in the processing tasks, a

scenario that is not alien to any procurement process. The fact is that we can rarely

observe procurement processing personnel knowing exactly when a particular

transaction happens and the time element that has to be considered before this has to be

consummated.

On the other hand, the human dimension speaks of personalities involved who have

diverse levels of appreciation as to the significance of the procurement process. They

belong to different groups that form part of the so-called Public Procurement

Institutions, namely: the requesting parties, officials and entities deciding on the

worthiness to consummate a transaction, procurement processing personnel, suppliers of

goods and services and internal control entities.

Likewise, the cultural dimension acts as the soul of the procurement system. Its

essence can be felt in the long term where a tradition shall be built. This tradition speaks

of value systems among those involved, like the requesting parties, procurement

processing personnel, approving Officials, internal control personnel and of course the

suppliers.
 Since time immemorial, the view of public procurement always boils down to

graft and corruption. It is high time now that this shall be transformed into a critical

component of governance that is central to its operations. That, it is its blood that gives

life to the efforts of public services delivery. Unless this notion is developed, time and

again, public procurement will still be viewed as nothing but an avenue to generate

money for personal gains. However, when the tradition of responsible and accountable

public spending is developed, there will observe pride and sense of satisfaction among

those involved in the process and that is tantamount to a heroic act of doing a critical

task for the general public to be emancipated from the bondage of poverty and the ills of

the environment. Because of that feeling of satisfaction, they can see such

accomplishment though it happened away beyond their horizon. This, actually is

oftentimes overlooked under the present state because the satisfaction level ends at the

time the goods and services are delivered and accepted by the requesting parties. What

will make this conceptual turnaround will be the cultural aspect which will enrich the

process with dynamism, vibrant and highly responsive in character.

With the foregoing critical components in place, there shall be delivered public

services to the people, either directly or through government instrumentalities that are

mandated by existing laws. However, for the latter to be effective and efficient in the

delivery of these services they have to be adequately equipped with goods and services

appropriate to their levels.

In both instances, provisions of goods and services are undertaken through the

procurement process.
3.2 Institution of Public Procurement Management Paradigms

There shall be instituted a public procurement management paradigms. This shall

illustrate how the model shall be translated into actions, its context of which shall be

based on the operational framework.

The paradigm shall encompass the following:

• Public Procurement Management

While the public procurement model refers to a structure of variables significant

to related processes, public procurement management is what will make the model work

which takes off from the existing system characterized by national standard procedures

and local operating procedures passing through critical stages like instituting patterns of

systems and procedures and eventually developing a culture of responsible and

accountable public spending and ends up at the stage where the post-procurement

dimension had already taken its course.

• Public Procurement Environment

At the local level this refers to the personalities involved and their public

procurement practices based on existing system and procedures as mandated. Also

include policy changes that maybe initiated at the national or international levels or by

the local administration. Likewise, this involves the norms and standards being practiced

of greater magnitude by a larger population of practitioners and so with the requisition

patterns of the beneficiaries of goods and services.

• Service Delivery Management

 This is founded upon the bedrock of Public Procurement. Here, services are not

only acquired, delivered and accepted by the clientele. There goes with it the

fundamentals of management from conceptualization to impact evaluation. By this, it is

ensured that the use of funds in the in the acquisition of goods and services for the

people will be maximized and rationalized and by virtue of this principle, the integrating

factor of service delivery management is public spending.

• Technical Dimension in Public Procurement

Refers not necessarily on how the transactions are to be handled for these are given

variables that logically takes place in any operation. What is being emphasized here is

the capability to know how the transaction accumulate at a specific period of time and

how to manage it. The tool here is a regular time and motion analysis and studying the

procurement environment. This is to know better the perspective of the set of

transactions at that particular period of time

• Human Dimension in Public Procurement

Refers to personalities involved who have diverse levels of appreciation as to the

significance of the procurement process. They belong to different groups that form part

of the so-called Public Procurement Institutions, namely: the requesting parties, officials

and entities deciding on the worthiness to consummate a transaction, procurement

processing personnel, suppliers of goods and services and internal control entities.

• Cultural Dimension in Public Procurement

Acts as the soul of the procurement system. Its essence can be felt in the long term

where a tradition shall be built. This tradition speaks of value systems among those
involved, like the requesting parties, procurement processing personnel, approving

Officials, internal control personnel and of course the suppliers.

• Culture of Responsible and Accountable Public Spending

Refers to building a tradition of public expenditure patterns that is responsive in

perspective and embodies the ideals of transparency and confidentiality and quality

handling of transactions characterized by fair and competitive prices and timely

deliveries. Hence, regardless of whoever takes the place of those who practice the

system will end up practitioners themselves. Otherwise, if they insist on infusing their

own systems they will be isolating themselves since they will be breaking norms and

standards

• Post-procurement dimension

This has something to do with the formulation of an analysis as to compliance to

procedures of the procurement process which is based on those mandated by existing

laws. These also include analysis on price level, quality and timeliness of deliveries and

effects and impacts to the general public and office operations in the context of

strengthening their capabilities for their service delivery efforts. These post procurement

undertakings is aimed to institute appropriate measures to further strengthen the

process.

• Transparency and confidentiality dimension

Basically, trust and confidence are what will make the procurement transactions

reliable and free from doubts. Hence, it is imminent that there shall be established
mechanisms as to when records of transactions are made transparent and when their

confidentiality shall be held. This shall be in place since these will boil down to trust and

confidence building among those involved in the procurement process, the requesting

parties, processing personnel, approving officials and on the part of the suppliers upon

which there will be obtained a productive competitions in terms of price and quality of

the desired goods and services.

• Public Procurement Institutions

This refers to the different groups of involved personalities in the procurement

processes, such as, the requesting parties, officials and entities deciding on the

worthiness to consummate a transaction, procurement processing personnel, suppliers of

goods and services and internal control entities. As such, they shall not work as

individuals participating in a procurement process attending only to their respective

tasks. On the contrary, they shall look upon these tasks as components of a larger task

and hence, they shall regard themselves as an institution mandated to discharge these

tasks and hence, highly accountable to any implication thereof, whether favorable or

detrimental in characteristics This is in view of the fact that in the pursuance of

procurement-related undertakings, there are interrelated and intertwining series of

activities which involved different groups of personalities so that working individually

shall never be an option that any one in the process may consider. Otherwise, they shall

look forward to working together, complementing and coordinating with one another to

attain what could be considered as a procurement system that is beyond reproach.

 Boosting the foregoing are the technical dimensions which in the context of this

study refers to the norms and standards set by the policy makers from the national and

local levels which from to time are being reviewed to meet the prevailing of the process.

With all the operational environment of the model properly identified and with a

program in place, there shall be developed a culture of responsible and accountable

public spending in the City which refers to building a tradition of public expenditure

patterns that is responsive in perspective and embodies the ideals of transparency and

confidentiality and quality handling of transactions characterized by fair and competitive

prices and timely deliveries. Hence, regardless of whoever takes the place of those who

practice the system will end up practitioners themselves. Otherwise, if they insist on

infusing their own systems they will be isolating themselves since they will be breaking

norms and standards. This is expected since it takes long periods of time to develop new

concepts to replace old and even obsolete ones. The more its difficult, if the latter are

proven to be effective over time.

With the impending operationalization of the Systems Model which will maintain the

responsiveness of the public procurement in the City, hopefully it will be in a position to be

considered as one the first local government units in the country to develop a model for its

public procurement system that can perhaps make it as a destination for research by other local

government units. For one, being a newly-constituted local government unit, it can take pride to

being in the forefront in a paradigm transformation in this critical area of governance. At any

rate, it is the first City to have been established out of merging three (3) fifth (5 th) class
municipalities upon which it can lay claim to be the first and only City whose official name

already bears its vision that makes its residents familiar with.