Applying for the Lift program
By Lyonel Tanganco
From the start of the application process, WeSolve Foundation knew that the Open Contracting Partnership (OCP)’s Lift program was very selective. The OCP had high standards — and rightly so — for the teams that they would support through their impact accelerator program. They were looking for teams that were reform-ready, the data needed to analyze the problem they wanted to solve, and the ability to implement meaningful change. We understood why the OCP was very discerning in the selection process. The key metric of our work in the development space is impact, after all.
From our experience, the application process was slightly intimidating. Seeing the expertise and support that the OCP brought to reform teams of civil society and government leaders across the globe, we decided to apply anyway. We wanted the Philippines to be a part of the program.
We approached the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) to see if we could partner with them for the Lift program. The PS-DBM is an agency mandated by Philippine law to procure 141 common use supplies and 143 consumable items (worth ~USD 29.5 million per year) for the entire national government. It also manages the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS), which is used by all government agencies. In short, it is a critical government agency at the heart of the procurement system and with the potential to transform the procurement process in our country.
Together with the leaders of PS-DBM, we developed a proposed project wherein we would review the agency’s procurement processes (e.g., pricing strategy, bundling of contracts) and past procurement data to see opportunities to revise these guidelines to improve value for taxpayer money and minimize risks for corruption. During the program, the PS-DBM will also implement these revised guidelines and, together with WeSolve, monitor the results.
We were fortunate to have made the cut for the Lift program. As we begin our engagement with the OCP and the PS-DBM soon, I would like to share some reflections below of what came together to make this project happen and what we will build on over the next 18 months:
1 — Leadership of the government team. The PS-DBM is currently led by Executive Director Dennis Santiago and Director Genmaries Entredicho-Caong, who both have strong track records in procurement reform. Director Santiago worked on the Government Procurement Reform Act of 2003 and led Procurement Watch, a major civil society group in procurement reform. Director Entredicho-Caong has had extensive experience in procurement reform projects with different international development partners and financial institutions before joining the government. We are fortunate to have reformers such as themselves at the helm of this important procurement agency.
When WeSolve approached the PS-DBM about the Lift program, the agency’s leaders already had an idea of what they wanted us to do together. We were tasked to help the PS-DBM analyze their procurement practices and help implement and monitor reforms in the agency.
Directors Santiago and Entredicho-Caong, the agency’s main decision makers, wanted to be a part of the project team themselves. They were as eager to enter into this partnership as we were.
2 — OCP as the perfect partner for the project. As we went through the application process, we were delighted that the OCP’s questions really showed how involved they were going to be throughout the program. The OCP’s Lift team was composed of procurement policy and data experts whom we will soon work with. We were asked detailed questions about the availability, format, and level of detail of the data that we had access to, as well as local policies in procurement and the authority that the PS-DBM had to change them.
We were even more encouraged to partner with OCP as there was much that we could learn with their technical expertise and experience in the field.
3 — WeSolve’s collaborative approach to change shaping. Finally, Ken, Riz, and myself — the WeSolve team — are fortunate to be working in a non-profit that aims to steer change with collective action. WeSolve supports young changeshapers such as ourselves in fields that are difficult but necessary to engage in (like procurement reform).
We believe that, as civil society actors, we must hold the government to account, but when there are opportunities to engage government agencies for systems change that will promote greater transparency, accountability, and participation, we must not let these pass.
We are honored to partner with our government’s procurement service and the OCP for this project. The PS-DBM is a critical institution that improves the efficiency of procurement in the country. We look forward to helping strengthen the organization through this project.
Lyonel Tanganco is a Senior Project Manager at WeSolve Foundation.
