Recommendations

Recommendations: Based on the findings of the study, it is deemed exigent that the weak areas shall have to be eliminated while the strong ones shall be strengthened. Hence, it is recommended that there shall be designed a model that shall set the direction of the City’s procurement system as hereafter shown. This model shall integrate the technical aspect of the process which refers to the handling of transactions by the procurement processing personnel and at the policy level which is being directed by those who are responsible in deciding the worthiness of pushing through with the transactions based on the compliance of requirements, both provided for in the Government Accounting and Auditing Manual and those standard operating procedures being employed by the City Government. While looking forward to attaining a very responsive public procurement system in the City through the implementation of this Model, addressing the current limitations is the immediate concern. In this regard, the issue of responsiveness can be addressed by systems and procedures as well as shaping the attitudes of those involved in the processes towards developing in themselves that sense of pride in undertaking their tasks which shall be anchored on values formation and skills training activities. On the other hand, timeliness can be maintained through related measures. This also entails commitment among the personnel handling procurement transactions which can be embedded in their minds through shaping of value systems which are likewise part of the Model’s operational control structures. Now, since significance of the timeliness is what will spell success and failure in the operations of other institutions, doing timely

responses to the various stages of the procurement system will take down the burden which can be done through systems and mechanisms. Taking into consideration the extent of adequacy of the systems and mechanisms, what will be set up are operational systems designing which from time to time will be reviewed for updating purposes thereby attaining a respectable adequacy level. To maintain the effectiveness of these systems and mechanisms, their operationalization shall be properly monitored and regularly evaluated. With the foregoing, apparently, the Model while being designed for long term impacts, it takes off from addressing first the current issue of public procurement system in the City though not as grave as maybe thought of by some of the respondents. Delivery of services to the clientele is the ultimate goal of government institutions. It is the reason why they are existing and continue to exist. These services are being brought to the people in different modes and which are aimed at satisfying their necessities that vary from time to time and by nature of their economic status. II. Development of Conceptual Framework 2.1 Public Procurement: The Bedrock of Service Delivery Management Delivery of services to the clientele is the ultimate goal of government institutions. It is the reason why they are existing and continue to exist. These services are being brought to the people in different modes and which are aimed at satisfying their necessities that vary from time to time and by nature of their economic status.

Meanwhile, Local Fiscal Administration is an area in governance that encompasses three (3) vital components such as: Resource Generation, Resource Allocation and Resource Utilization. Resource Generation has something to do with the varying modes of generating funds from the traditional sourcing like the taxes imposed through national-based measures and those generated through local initiatives. Resource Allocation on the other hand, is attributed to the provision of appropriation for operational expenditures that include personal services, maintenance and other operating expenditures and capital outlays and for various development priorities. Resource Utilization is concerning the modes of spending of what had been allocated for the various object of expenditures as herein emphasized. The bottomline is that utilization of funds must follow a standard operating procedure that is advantageous to the government. In its entirety, delivery of services does not end at the time the beneficiaries had received them. Beyond the acceptance of these are such considerations as service impacts as to how the lives of the clients are affected by such interventions and so with the community where they live. In this context, the concept of Service Delivery Management emerges and which is founded upon the bedrock of Public Procurement. Here, services are not only acquired, delivered and accepted by the clientele. There go 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. By virtue of this principle the integrating factor of service delivery management is public spending. It is of common knowledge that the public procurement system in government institutions for these goods and services is characterized by such issues of graft and corruption, overpricing and delayed and deficient deliveries. In this regard, in making the operations of the public procurement system above board then service delivery management has its essence. It shall be noted that one of the critical areas in governance where the people’s thrusts reside is Fiscal Administration in general and public procurement in particular. This is so since the public directly and indirectly experience the results of public procurement in their daily lives that extends to nearly all forms of goods and services (Combating Corruption in Asian and Pacific Economies, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 1999). 2.2 Reforming the Public Procurement System Systems and procedures that constitute a model for institutional tasks are the lifeblood of any organization. This model serves as the bedrock upon which operational control is anchored. Through this, monitoring and evaluation, a must in any undertaking, will be facilitated. Likewise, external influence, especially if this is aimed at predisposing such operational control, will have a hard time getting into it considering that modeling of tasks will lead towards establishing a pattern and eventually boils down to building a culture which will be nurture d through the years. In this regard, the processes of public that constitute the model shall be controlled in order to ensure to ensure the effectives in the delivery of services by the government.

Generally, this Public Procurement Model shall serve as a tool for managing public procurement processes. Here, the concept of public procurement management emerges. It shall be observed that while the public procurement model refers to a structure of variables significant to related processes, public procurement management is what will make the model works 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. In effect, this will strengthen the procurement processes where graft and corruption usually thrives, for this creates an atmosphere where all the key players thereof develop a sense of professional relationship upon which kinship or friendship and even coercive acts can not in any manner influence its flow. This is in view of the fact that the essence of the model transcends beyond the technical aspect of the processes which is the human dimension where attitudes shall be formed towards becoming honest and sincere public servants and service providers and suppliers of goods and services. In other words, this professional relationship shall be dictated by ethical standards that are practiced conscientiously. Hence, it refers to carrying out the tasks based on what is ideal, the requesting parties doing their share like seeing to it that what had been delivered are what they want refer matters to concerned officials or personnel and not spread unfavorable news relative to the transaction outside the institution, the approving officials realizing the gravity of their accountability and see to it that time of essence in

their response to documents submitted for their disposition, the processing personnel perceptive that their task is so critical in terms of timeliness and quality, the suppliers being familiar with the such principle as “what to do and what not to” when entering into a transaction with the government. Indeed it’s a tall order if taken lightly but it takes written rules being put into actions by the “right people, at the right situation and at the right time” so to speak to change this outlook overnight. All these constitute the City’s effort of reforming its public procurement system and which will be the nucleus of public procurement management, its backbone of which shall be founded upon the bedrock of the Model. In effect, its focus shall be on designing new laws that constitute rules and regulations and clearly defined ethical standards; new responsive systems anchored on transparency and accountability, proactive public procurement institutions and the shaping of the attitudes of all concerned from the purview of a strong political will and personal transformation towards what is ideal in the procurement processes.