To:     Regional Directors
Schools Division Superintendents
All Others Concerned

1. The Department of Education (DepEd) issues the following Guidelines on the Procurement of Technical Vocational and Livelihood (TVL) Specialization Tools, Equipment and Materials for School Year (SY) 2016-2017 to ensure proper implementation and to adhere to the principles of transparency, accountability, equity, efficiency and economy in its procurement processes.
2. All procurement should be within the approved budget of the procuring entity based on the regional allocations specified in the 2016 General Appropriations Act (GAA). No government procurement shall be undertaken unless it is in accordance with an approved Annual Procurement Plan in accordance with Republic Act No. 9184 (RA 9184). The total value of items to be procured must not exceed the amount allotted for the entire region in the 2016 GAA. Therefore, the regions will need to prioritize the necessary tools and equipment to be procured.
3. As a general rule, all procurement shall be done through competitive bidding, as provided in Rule XVI of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA 9184. Rule XVI outlines the conditions under which the use of alternative methods procurement may be resorted to.
4. The regions shall consult with their Senior High School (SHS) Coordinators and the Divisions concerned regarding the specific requirements of schools per specialization,  including details such as quantity per item and points of delivery.
5. Technical specifications of goods for procurement shall be guided by the standards set by the Office of the Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction as contained in the Senior High School Tools and Equipment Database file provided during the Regional Orientation-Workshop held on February 1-3, 2016. In general, the items to be procured must meet specified standards, must be available in the market, must be safe for use by high school students, and must be made of non-toxic materials and/or substance. Reference to brand names shall not be allowed (Section 18, IRR-RA 9184).
6. The approved budget for the contract for the procurement of goods should include incidental expenses such as delivery, training and installation (as may be appropriate), inclusive of applicable taxes.
7. To ensure successful bidding, the Regional Bids and Awards Committees (BACs) should consider the list of items to be procured. Contract packages should therefore be evaluated and awarded by lot, per package, or per item. Goods may be classified into different categories, such as:
   1. common-use supplies; or
   2. noncommon use supplies (which may include equipment or supplies that are project-specific).
8. Procuring Entities (PEs) shall refer to the Electronic Catalogue in the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) in procuring common-use goods, supplies, materials and equipment. The Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM), is tasked with the centralized procurement of common-use supplies of government in accordance with Letter of Instruction No. 755 and Executive Order No. 359, series of 1989 (Section 53.5, IRR-RA 9184; and DBM Circular 2013-14). Thus, procurement of common-use items should be through PS-DBM, except in cases when the required items are not available, either in quantity or based on specification,  at the Regional PS-DBM Warehouse Depot.
9. The procurement process from the opening of bids up to the award of contract shall not exceed three (3) months, or a shorter period to be determined by the PE concerned.  All members of the BAC shall be on a “jury duty” type of assignment until the Notice of Award (NOA) is issued by the Head of the Procuring Entity in order to complete the entire procurement process at the earliest possible time. The BAC members shall give utmost priority to BAC assignment over all the other duties and responsibilities until the requirements for the said assignments at hand are completed.
10. To ensure that the Contract or Purchase Order (PO) are prepared and approved within the prescribed timelines of RA 9184, the regions are responsible for the following undertakings:
    1. The BAC, through its Secretariat, prepares and submits the Complete Staff Work together with the approved Resolution to Award (RTA) to the Office of Undersecretary for Finance and Administration for the release of Sub-ARO prior to the issuance of NOA.
    2. The amounts specified in the RTA shall be the basis of Central Office to download funds to the Region so that it can proceed with the issuance of the NOA.
    3. The preparation of Contract/PO will be subject for review by the Legal Officer, if any, to advice whether or not the provisions in the contract/PO is in compliance with existing laws and regulations.
11. The regions, together with its division offices and SHS schools, are encouraged to explore other modes of acquiring the other necessary tools and equipment as may be allowed by law. These include among others: partnering with local government units, private institutions and other stakeholders.
12. For more information, all concerned may contact Ms. Ruth Romano of the Procurement Management Service (PMS) at telefax nos. (02) 636-5642 to 43 or (02) 635-3762. Queries related to the TVL specialization requirements and allocations may be referred to Dir. Raul La Rosa of the Bureau of Learning Resources (BLR) at telephone nos. (032) 255-3633 to 34.
13. Immediate dissemination of and strict compliance with this Order is directed.

(Sgd.) BR. ARMIN A. LUISTRO FSC
Secretary

To be indicated in the Perpetual Index under the following subjects:
FUNDS
OFFICIALS
POLICY
PROCUREMENT
TECHNICAL EDUCATION
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

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