GPPB Resolution No. 19 (2026)

GPPB Resolution No. 19-2026 dated 14 August 2026 Page 1 of 4 RESOLUTION NO. 19-2026

CONFIRMING THE AUTHORITY OF THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT POLICY BOARD–TECHNICAL SUPPORT OFFICE TO SIGN THE CERTIFICATE OF CONCURRENCE (COC) ON THE GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT CHAPTER OF THE PHILIPPINES–UNITED ARAB EMIRATES COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT AS WELL AS THE COCs FOR SUBSEQUENT BILATERAL AND MULTILATERAL FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS (FTAs) THE GPPB-TSO HAS PARTICIPATED IN PURSUANT TO GPPB RESOLUTION NO. 11-2026

WHEREAS, Republic Act (RA) No. 12009, otherwise known as the “New Government Procurement Act,” took effect on 13 August 2024, while its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) took effect on 25 February 2025;

WHEREAS, Section 91 of RA No. 12009 mandates that the Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) shall be the central body that sets strategic direction and makes policy decisions regarding all matters affecting public procurement, having due regard to the country’s regional and international obligations;

WHEREAS, Section 91 of RA No. 12009 further provides that the GPPB shall be supported by a Technical Support Office (TSO), headed by a Director General (DG) with a rank equivalent to an Undersecretary and supported by Deputy Directors General (DDG) with a rank equivalent to an Assistant Secretary;

WHEREAS, on 06 February 2024, the DTI presented the proposed Philippines-United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (UAE CEPA), including a proposed Government Procurement (GP) Chapter;

WHEREAS, on 06 November 2024, the GPPB-TSO participated in the 3rd Round of PH- UAE CEPA negotiations on government procurement and provided comments and proposed changes to the draft GP Chapter;

WHEREAS, on 23 January 2025, the GPPB-TSO and UAE held an intersessional session to resolve outstanding points, particularly on consultations and review, and reached agreement on the remaining points. On 30 January 2025, the GPPB-TSO transmitted minor and editorial changes to the proposed GP Chapter and Summary of Discussions, which were considered adopted and concluded, subject to legal review by the Department of Justice (DOJ);

WHEREAS, upon review by the GPPB-TSO, the final GP Chapter remained substantially consistent with the text concluded on 23 January 2025, subject primarily to minor revisions arising from the DOJ review and updates to UAE contact persons. As confirmed by the GPPB-TSO, the concluded GP Chapter contains no market access commitments and, as relayed by the Chief Negotiator, is limited to cooperation and transparency provisions;

WHEREAS, the finalized text on GP is found in Chapter 13 of the UAE CEPA and comprises Articles on Definitions, Objectives, Scope, Areas of Cooperation, Information on the Procurement System, Consultations, Contact Points, Review, and Non-Application of

GPPB Resolution No. 19-2026 dated 14 August 2026 Page 2 of 4 Dispute Settlement as well as its Annex 13-A containing the List of Government Entities using the Procurement System;

WHEREAS, on 16 April 2026, DTI requested for the signed Certificate of Concurrence (COC) on the GP Chapter of the PH-UAE CEPA, together with the concluded text, on a confidential and limited-circulation basis. The COC serves to document the concurrence of the government agency with policy responsibility over the subject matter of the relevant foreign trade agreement (FTA) and to confirm the agency’s participation and consultation in the negotiations. At the time material to the request, the then Officer-in-Charge of the GPPB-TSO sought to sign the COC jointly with the Executive Director of the PS-DBM, in light of GPPB Resolution No. 14-2025;

WHEREAS, on 25 November 2025, through GPPB Resolution No. 14-2025, the GPPB designated the DG and any of the DDGs of the GPPB-TSO as Principal and Alternate Negotiators and Representatives, respectively, to bilateral and multilateral free trade negotiations involving government procurement, and designated officials of the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) for matters related to electronic procurement and the use of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS);

WHEREAS, on 03 February 2026, through GPPB Resolution No. 06-2026, the GPPB authorized the DG and DDGs of the GPPB-TSO, and the Executive Director (ED) and the Deputy Executive Directors (DEDs) of the PS-DBM, to continue to participate, under the lead of Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in intersessional meetings and negotiations for the Philippines-European Union Foreign Trade Agreement (PH-EU FTA), including discussions on rules and market access in government procurement, subject to the general welfare and national interest and the constitutional principles of equality and reciprocity;

WHEREAS, on 23 July 2026, through GPPB Resolution No. 11-2026, the GPPB designated the DG and any of the DDGs of the GPPB-TSO as Principal and Alternate Negotiators and Representatives, respectively, to bilateral and multilateral free trade negotiations involving government procurement, negotiations on transparency, cooperation, sustainability, inclusive public procurement, electronic government procurement and other procurement principles and concepts, and intersessional meetings and negotiations, including discussions on rules and market access in government procurement;

WHEREAS, GPPB Resolution No. 11-2026 expressly repealed the previous designations of negotiators and representatives authorized under GPPB Resolution No. 14-2025 and GPPB Resolution No. 06-2026, such that the authority of the GPPB-TSO and its designated officials to represent the Philippines and negotiate the government procurement provisions of bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements now derives solely from GPPB Resolution No. 11-2026;

WHEREAS, the commitments under the GP Chapter of the PH-UAE CEPA principally concern transparency and cooperation in government procurement, including the exchange of procurement laws, regulations, procedures, best practices, and statistics; the sharing of experiences on electronic procurement; the publication and accessibility of procurement-related information, including through electronic means and in English; the provision of clarifications and conduct of consultations on procurement rules, regulations, procedures, and matters concerning the interpretation and application of the Chapter; the designation of Contact Points to facilitate implementation; and the possible review of the Chapter to enhance and deepen transparency and cooperation, with matters arising under the Chapter excluded from the Agreement’s dispute settlement mechanism;

GPPB Resolution No. 19-2026 dated 14 August 2026 Page 3 of 4

WHEREAS, the matter is being presented to the GPPB for confirmation that GPPB, through the GPPB-TSO, has the authority to confirm the COC insofar as it concerns matters within its policy jurisdiction and to inform the GPPB of the commitments under the GP Chapter of the PH-UAE CEPA as stated above which are consistent with RA No. 12009 and future FTAs to which the Philippines may become a Party;

WHEREAS, during the 5th GPPB meeting on 14 August 2026, the Board finds it necessary to confirm the authority of the DG to sign the COC and take note of the status and outcome of the negotiations on the GP Chapter of the PH-UAE CEPA;

WHEREAS, after due consideration and deliberation, the Board finds the proposal consistent with the mandate of the GPPB under RA No. 12009 and its IRR and with the authority and responsibilities set out in GPPB Resolution No. 11-2026;

NOW, THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the foregoing, WE, the Members of the GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT POLICY BOARD, by virtue of the powers vested in US by law, hereby RESOLVE to confirm, adopt, and approve, as WE hereby confirm, adopt, and approve, to:

1. NOTE the finalized text on GP, found in Chapter 13 of the UAE CEPA and comprised of the Articles on Definitions, Objectives, Scope, Areas of Cooperation, Information on the Procurement System, Consultations, Contact Points, Review, and Non-Application of Dispute Settlement; and Annex 13-A containing the List of Government Entities using the Procurement System;

2. DIRECT the GPPB-TSO to circulate a copy of the text of the Chapter 13 of the PH-UAE CEPA to the members of the Board;

3. CONFIRM the authority of the Director General of the GPPB-TSO to sign the COC on the GP Chapter of the PH-UAE CEPA as the official of the GPPB-TSO that has jurisdiction over matters affecting government procurement; and

4. CONFIRM that the Director General of the GPPB-TSO has the authority to sign the COCs for subsequent bilateral and multilateral FTAs it has participated in pursuant to GPPB Resolution No. 11-2026.

This Resolution shall take effect immediately.

APPROVED this 14th day of August 2026 at Quezon City, Philippines.

GPPB Resolution No. 19-2026 dated 14 August 2026 Page 4 of 4

___________________________________ GPPB, Chairperson DEPARTMENT OF BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT

___________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMY, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

___________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

___________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENSE ___________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND HIGHWAYS

___________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT ___________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

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PROCUREMENT SERVICE - DBM PRIVATE SECTOR REPRESENTATIVE

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