Bridging Procurement Gaps Through Digital Tools: Evidence from Selected Philippine National Government Agencies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11594/ijmaber.07.01.21Keywords:
Technology Adoption, Process Improvement, Digital Governance, Procurement DelaysAbstract
Public Procurement and its continuing agenda for transparency, efficiency and accountability in government. In the Philippines, government efforts towards digitalization seek to modernize the procurement process with systems that are intended to make bidding more accessible and transparent. Yet even with these reforms, many agencies remain plagued by delays and inefficiencies, indicating that the transition to digital platforms hasn’t gone far enough. This paper examines how digital tools can mitigate the distance between innovation and performance in public procurement. A mixed method research was utilized, combining quantitative survey analysis and quantitative inputs from sixty (60) procurement practitioner from selected national government agencies in the National Capital Region. Analyzed that the main reasons behind procurement delays and assess the digital adoption, system compatibility, staff capacity, infrastructure preparedness as well as organizational culture. Results show that digital procurement tools significantly improved transparency and reduced reliance on manual documentation, with respondents strongly aggreging on improvements in procurement cycle time (AWM = 4.28), transparency and compliance (AWM = 4.30). Additionally, many of the issues have been addressed through the digital channels by transparency and minimisation of physical paper work, however, challenges persist, particularly on the poor system integration, limited technical skills, unstable internet connectivity and resistance to digital change. Correlation analysis revealed a strong and statistically significant relationship between the extent of digital tool adoption and operational efficiency (r = 0.606, p = < 0.001), indicating that higher levels of
digitalization are associated with reduced procurement delays.
Downloads
References
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psy-chological Association (7th ed.). APA.
Acheampong, E. (2024). Institutional readiness and digital procurement reforms in de-veloping economies. Public Administra-tion and Development, 44(2), 198–213
Ahmad, A., & Barawi, M. (2023). Emerging technologies revolutionizing public
procurement. Business, 14(2), 23 https://doi.org/10.3390/biz14020023
Asian Development Bank (ADB). (2020). E-procurement for public sector efficiency: Lessons from Asia and the Pacific. Asian Development Bank.
Bolaños, J. C. S., Diaz, Y. E. S., Lalaguna, J. D. A., Malang, B. P., & Malang, J. D. S. (2024).Optimizing Digital Transition: Ad-dressing Challenges in Modernizing In-ventory Systems in Primary Healthcare Facilities. International Journal of Multi-disciplinary: Applied Business and Educa-tion Research, 5(11), 4398–4412. https://doi.org/10.11594/ijmaber.05.11.10
Braun V, & Clarke V (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Re-search in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Re-search design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Sage Publications.
Cruz, M., & Sajo, R. (2022). Digital procure-ment in the Philippines: Evaluating effi-ciency and integration challenges. Philip-pine Journal of Public Administration, 66(2), 55–72.
Department of Budget and Management (DBM). (2020). Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) manual.
Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB). (2023). Republic Act No. 9184: Government Procurement Reform Act and its implementing rules and regula-tions. https://www.gppb.gov.ph
Hochstetter, J., & Lopez, A. (2023). Transpar-ency and e-government in electronic pub-lic procurement. Sustainability, 15(5), 4672. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054672
Joshi, A., Kale, S., Chandel, S., & Pal, D. K. (2015). Likert scale: Explored and ex-plained. British Journal of Applied Sci-ence & Technology, 7(4), 396–403. https://doi.org/10.9734/BJAST/2015/14975
Lachica, J. M., & Dela Cruz, R. A. (2024). Organ-izational readiness and digital transfor-mation in Philippine public agencies. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration, 46(1), 45–61.
Lombres, C. P., et al. (2020). Streamlining solu-tions for procurement management through automation: A Philippine case. Proceedings of the International Confer-ence on Information and Knowledge Management. SciTePress.
Lopez, P., & Hassan, D. (2024). Barriers to e-tendering implementation: Insights from the construction sector. Sustainability, 17(5), 2052. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17052052
Magdaraog, M. (2025). Digitalization of the procurement process in the Department of Public Works and Highways in the Province of Masbate. International Jour-nal of Education, Business and Economics Research, 5(5).
Navarro, A. M., & Tanghal, J. A. (2024). The evolution of reforms and the state of competition in public procurement in the Philippines (PIDS Discussion Paper No. 2348). Philippine Institute for Develop-ment Studies.
Nisperos, R. (2024). Institutional barriers to digital procurement adoption in South-east Asia. Journal of Asian Public Policy, 17(2), 221–238.
Nisnisan, C. A. (2024). Philippine public pro-curement challenges: A review. TWIST Journal.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2021). Public pro-curement for innovation: Lessons from OECD countries. OECD Publishing.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2025). Digital transformation of public procurement. OECD Publishing.
Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). (2017, May 12). Planning gaps in government procurement system cause disbursement delays—PIDS study. https://www.pids.gov.ph/details/planning-gaps-in-gov-t-procurement-system-causes-disbursement-delays-pids-study
Seraspe, J. R., Salamat, F. , Malang, B. P. & Ma-lang, J. D. (2024). Enhancing Operational Performance and Decision-Making through a Digital Data Tracking System. International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business and Education Re-search, 5(11), 4375-4397. https://doi.org/10.11594/ijmaber.05.11.09
Smith, J., & Lee, K. (2024). Measuring public procurement delays: A performance in-dex approach. Journal of Public Pro-curement, 24(1), 55–78. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOPP-04-2023-0023
World Bank. (2021). E-procurement in the public sector: Building resilience and transparency in government spending. World Bank Group.
Zhang, L., & Pérez, M. (2024). Global trends in public procurement efficiency research: A systematic review. SAGE Open, 14(1), 21582440241297400. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241297400
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Mirasol O. Bacarisas
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See the Effect of Open Access).
