MANILA -- The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has approved the guidelines for the implementation of an electronic purchasing system for government supplies. 

Under the new rules, the government will launch an e-marketplace where state employees can buy common-use supplies and equipment. Procurement requests will be made electronically, and the system will make use of electronic signatures and payments.

The government will pilot-test the procurement system's electronic marketplace with common-use supplies and equipment like motor vehicles, airline tickets, cloud computing services, and software licenses to ensure that the eMarketplace is tested in a controlled and measurable environment.

The supplies available for purchase will be screened by the DBM's Procurement Service (PS) to ensure compliance with technical standards. 

Government agencies can buy common-use equipment from other suppliers in case of stock unavailability or when other options are more efficient, practical, or economically viable, as stated under Republic Act No. 12009 or the New Government Procurement Act.

The DBM said it will provide training modules to help government employees use the new marketplace. The PS-DBM will also review the system's performance based on the pilot testing and suggest ways to improve it further before it is implemented nationwide.

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. signed the New Government Procurement Act on Saturday. 

DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said that allowing government employees to “add to cart” common-use items will also allow them to check if an item is in stock, how much it is, and how soon they can get it.

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‘Add to cart’: DBM to launch new procurement app for gov’t agencies