The Philippine Government’s Electronic Procurement System PhilGeps is close to achieving financial sustainability. This important milestone formed part of the PhilGeps Business Plan that was developed in collaboration with the CoST Philippines Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG).

Officials at PhilGeps report that the system currently has more than 18,000 fee paying registered users. Revenue from fees was ₱42m in the last financial year, whilst the operating costs were approximately ₱50m.

Commenting on this development, CoST MSG Chair Vincent Lazatin said: “The PhilGeps system is an essential platform for the disclosure of information and we are very pleased that we were able to help our colleagues at PhilGeps meet this important objective. We are now working with them to modernise the system and are planning new features that will enable stakeholders to comment on the information that is disclosed.”

The principal users of PhilGeps are contractors and consultants who use it to access business opportunities. Petter Matthews, Director of the CoST International Secretariat said: “Users don’t mind paying a fee as long as they receive a good service. And importantly, their contributions help ensure that no fee is payable by those who just want to use the system to obtain information disclosed through CoST.”