How to Bid for PhilGEPS Opportunities in 5 Steps

One of the most profitable business ventures you can explore for growth is the business-to-government (B2G) sales model.

In the Philippines, the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) is the online government portal that provides B2G opportunities to local SMEs. Hundreds of bidding notices are posted daily; you only need one awarded to become an official government supplier.

To participate in government bidding, you’ll have to complete PhilGEPS registration. If you haven’t registered yet, check out our comprehensive guide to PhilGEPS registration before proceeding.

To guide you through bidding and increase your chances of winning a PhilGEPS opportunity, here’s a comprehensive guide to the PhilGEPS bidding process.

What is the PhilGEPS bidding process?

The PhilGEPS bidding process can go differently depending on your type of membership. Still, all bidders often go through the same five (5) steps. Let’s discuss each of them below.

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Step 1. Buyer-Supplier Search

First, you’ll need to look for a PhilGEPS bidding notice to bid for in the PhilGEPS opportunities section. Bidding notices are the posts from government agencies and LGUs all over the country. They contain the procuring agency’s name, required product or service, procurement budget, and other details that a potential merchant needs to know.

You can search the PhilGEPS opportunities section by category, agency, or keyword. Check the portal regularly, since new bidding notices are posted every day.

Things to note when viewing PhilGEPS opportunities

Consider if the following details on the bid notice matches your business capacity:

• Approved budget for the contract (ABC)
• Delivery period and area
• Document Request List, discussed further on Step 3
• Description
• Procurement Mode

If you are a PhilGEPS Red Member, you can only join procurements where the procuring entity accepts Red registration, such as:

• Small Value Procurement (up to ₱2 million)
• Direct Contracting
• Certain types of Negotiated Procurement

In these cases, you’ll use your PhilGEPS Organization ID. To join competitive bidding, you need a PhilGEPS Certificate of Registration (Platinum Membership).

you can only bid for contracts with the following Procurement Modes:

• Shopping
• Small Value Procurement
• Direct Contracting
• Take-Over of Contracts
• Scientific, Scholarly, or Artistic Work, Exclusive Technology and Media Services
• Highly Technical Consultants
• Lease of Real Property

In addition, Red Members cannot bid for budgets exceeding Php 1 Million, and contracts requesting a PhilGEPS Certificate of Registration. To bid for them, you need to upgrade to a PhilGEPS Platinum Membership.

Once you find a suitable bidding notice, reach out to the contact person listed in the notice to ensure it is still open, and to verify if your business can handle the project specifications.

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Step 2. Pre-Bidding Conference

A Pre-Bid Conference is held for each procurement, unless the rules provide otherwise. It takes place at least 12 calendar days before the bid deadline, but not earlier than 7 calendar days after the invitation to bid is posted on PhilGEPS. Attending is highly encouraged. Here, bidders can further verify the project specs, terms, and requirements.

The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), which represents the contract’s procuring entity, normally includes the conference details on the bidding notice. The conference is held over video conferencing or in-person at the BAC’s chosen venue.

By attending the conference, you’ll get to know your potential competitors, the project timeline, and possible revenue should you win the bid.

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Step 3. Getting & Submitting Bidding Documents

Seasoned government suppliers describe this step as the most challenging part of bidding. Bidding documents are standard forms that you can download free of charge from PhilGEPS or the procuring entity’s website. However, you must pay the applicable fee to the procuring entity no later than when you submit your bid. The fees vary per contract and are generally non-refundable. They can run up to a hundred pages or more, and the document fees vary per contract. The fees are non-refundable unless there is a Failure of Bidding declaration for the project.

In general, the documents are split into the following types:

Technical and Eligibility Documents

• PhilGEPS Certificate of Registration (Platinum Membership). This covers your legal documents, such as your DTI, SEC, or CDA registration, mayor’s permit, and tax clearance, which are kept on file in PhilGEPS.
• Statement of your Single Largest Completed Contract (SLCC), similar to the contract being bid.
• NFCC computation or committed Line of Credit. Your Net Financial Contracting Capacity must be at least equal to the ABC. Instead, you may submit a committed Line of Credit from a universal or commercial bank, equal to at least 10% of the ABC.
• Statement of all ongoing government and private contracts, including contracts awarded but not yet started.
• Joint Venture Agreement, or notarized statements from potential partners, if applicable.
• Other documents requested by the BAC, listed in the bidding documents.

Financial Documents

• Bid form and price schedule, and other financial documents requested by the BAC.

How to submit PhilGEPS bids

Bids are submitted to the BAC in 2 separate envelopes or folders:

• Technical Component. These are the technical and eligibility documents above, unless stated otherwise by the BAC.
• Financial Component. These are the additional documents requested by the BAC, such as the bid form.

There are two ways to submit your bid:

• In-Person. Send your 2 envelopes, marked and sealed, directly to the BAC via their address.
• Electronic. If the BAC allows it, send your password-protected Bidding Documents inside 2 compressed archive folders via PhilGEPS portal or official BAC details. You will disclose the passwords during bid opening on the next stage.

The final documents and submission guidelines will ultimately depend on your business type, government contract, and BAC requirements. Thus, always check with the BAC for the full list of requirements you need to submit. Alternatively, Section 52 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 12009 also lists the eligibility requirements for bidders. (Tip: open the link, press Ctrl + F on your keyboard, and search for "Section 52". If you are on a mobile browser, tap the Options icon, then "Find in Page".)

Bids are automatically disqualified if sent past the submission deadline, or if it has missing signatures, insufficient data, or unmarked content.

From here, you are not allowed to communicate with any BAC member regarding matters connected to your bid, unless you are asked to issue a written clarification.

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Step 4. Opening & Evaluation of Bids

The BAC will publicly open and evaluate all bids received immediately after the deadline, either in-person or via video conferencing. It is often attended by the BAC, observers, and bidders. It’s best to attend in case you need to file an appeal. The whole process, from the opening of bids to the award of the contract, should not exceed 60 calendar days. Depending on the project, the contract is awarded to the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid (LCRB), the Most Economically Advantageous Responsive Bid (MEARB), the Most Advantageous Responsive Bid (MARB), or the Highest Rated Responsive Bid (HRRB). MEARB weighs quality against price, so the lowest bid doesn’t always win.

If your bid is ranked first (for example, the Lowest Calculated Bid, Most Economically Advantageous Bid, or Highest Rated Bid), congratulations! The BAC will conduct a post-qualification of your bid, which takes up to 12 calendar days. You’ll be asked to submit additional requirements under Section 63 of the IRR of RA 12009, and you must respond to any request for clarification within 7 calendar days.

However, if you were ineligible at any stage of the process but submitted the lowest bid, you can file a written appeal with BAC. They will then take a few days to consider your appeal before finally releasing the Notice of Award.

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Step 5. Notice of Award & Project Execution

A Notice of Award is issued by the head of the procuring entity to the winning bidder. The bidding is considered officially closed, and the bidding notice is added to the Recent Award Notices board in PhilGEPS.

Additional requirements may be requested by the BAC, but the next steps should be Contract-Signing and a Notice to Proceed from the procuring entity. As soon as the last one is completed, the winning bidder may proceed with purchase order or execution of the contract terms.

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Ready to take on your first PhilGEPS bidding? The requirements and process may be lengthy and complicated, but the increased business sales and credibility your company will gain will be all worth it. Good luck with the bidding process!

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