QuestionsQuestions (EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 323)
Executive Order No. 323 amends Executive Order No. 64 by further reconstituting the Contract Committee to pass upon and approve certain government contracts entered into or renewed through negotiation as an exception to public bidding requirements.
The Committee is composed of: the Secretary of General Services (Chairman); the Deputy Auditor General (Member); the Undersecretary of Justice (Member); and the Director of the Bureau of Supply Coordination (Secretary).
The Secretary is the Director of the Bureau of Supply Coordination. He/she shall serve as the Secretary of the Committee, organize and head the Secretariat, and be assisted by personnel from the Bureau or other government agencies detailed to the Committee.
It mandates that the Secretariat be formed and organized under the Secretary (Director of the Bureau of Supply Coordination) and staffed by personnel from the Bureau or other government offices/agencies detailed to the Committee.
The Committee must meet at least once every two weeks, but it may meet more often in cases of urgent necessity or when called by any of its members.
The Secretary must bring to the attention of Committee members negotiated contracts that require immediate attention.
EO No. 323 enjoins the Committee to facilitate action and requires it to dispose of any matter within fifteen (15) days from the date of its submission to and receipt by the Committee.
Contracts for public services and contracts for furnishing materials, supplies, and equipment entered into or renewed through negotiations as an exception to the requirement of public bidding.
Because the Committee’s function under EO No. 64 (as amended by multiple EOs) is to approve negotiated contracts only when they fall under recognized exceptions to public bidding.
It requires regular meetings (at least every two weeks), allows more frequent meetings for urgent cases, obligates the Secretary to flag contracts needing immediate action, and imposes a 15-day disposal period.
It clarifies that the 15 days start only upon submission and receipt by the Committee—not merely upon drafting or endorsement before submission.
It means the composition and/or organization of the Contract Committee is modified again—specifically, its membership and Secretariat structure are set anew under EO No. 323.
EO No. 323 amends EO No. 64 by changing the Committee’s composition, meeting frequency, Secretariat arrangement, and by reinforcing timelines for action on negotiated contracts.
The Chairman is the Secretary of General Services.
The members are the Deputy Auditor General and the Undersecretary of Justice.