The HoPE shall create a Secretariat which will serve as the main support unit of the BAC. An existing organic office within the Procuring Entity may also be designated to serve as Secretariat.
To strengthen and promote the professionalization of the organizations’ procuring unit, the HoPE may create procurement units that may serve concurrently as BAC Secretariat in accordance with the guidelines issued by DBM. The Secretariat shall have the following functions and responsibilities:
Provide administrative support to the BAC and the TWG;
Organize and make all necessary arrangements for BAC and the TWG meetings and conferences;
Prepare minutes of meetings and resolutions of the BAC;
Take custody of procurement documents and other records and ensure that all procurements undertaken by the Procuring Entity are properly documented;
Manage the sale and distribution of Bidding Documents to interested bidders;
Advertise and/or post bidding opportunities, including Bidding Documents, and notices of awards;
Assist in managing the procurement processes;
Monitor procurement activities and milestones for proper reporting to relevant agencies when required
Consolidate PPMPs from various units of the Procuring Entity to make them available for review as indicated in Section 7 of this IRR and prepare the APP; and
Act as the central channel of communications for the BAC with end-user or implementing units, PMOs, other units of the line agency, other government agencies, providers of goods, infrastructure projects, and consulting services, observers, and the general public
In case of an existing ad hoc Secretariat, the HoPE shall assign full-time support staff to their BAC Secretariat. The head of the Secretariat in central offices shall be at least a fifth (5th) ranking permanent employee or, if not available, a permanent employee of lower rank; or shall be at least a third (3rd) ranking permanent employee in bureaus, regional offices and sub-regional/ district offices, or if not available, a permanent employee of lower rank. In addition to integrity, Heads of Procuring Entities shall consider procurement proficiency as a factor in designating the head of the Secretariat and Procurement Unit.
To expedite the procurement process, the HoPE shall ensure that the members of the BAC, its Secretariat and TWG, shall give utmost priority to BAC assignments over all other duties and responsibilities, until the requirements for the said assignments at hand are completed.
