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Republic of the Pliilippi11es 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL No. ----
Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO 
AN ACT AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT No. 8182 AS AMENDED BY REPUBLIC 
ACT- No. 8555 TO AUTHORIZE THE AW ARD OF A PROJECT TO THE 
BIDDER IN CASES WHERE THERE IS ONLY A SINGLE BIDDER, AND FOR 
OTHER PURPOSES 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The paucity of domestic financial resources to fund our developmental programs has 
led us to tum to foreign sources to implement identified programs and projects most urgently 
needed for our country's sustainable economic growth and development. 
Official Development Assistance (ODA), as defined by Republic Act No. 8182 as 
amended by Republic Act 8555, is foreign-funded loan or loan and grant administered for 
the country's sustainable social and economic development, contracted between the 
Philippine government and a foreign government or entity, subject to certain conditions as 
agreed upon by the contracting parties. 
The Commission on Audit (COA) Report of June 2023 indicates that 82 loans still 
have unavailed commitments, totaling over Php 824 billion as of year-end 2022. Among the 
reasons for low absorption is the delayed /slow implementation of ODA-funded programs 
or projects. Of the I 06 active ODA loans as of end December, 2022 as recorded by the 
National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), it is reported that, based on the 
physical status reports of implementing agencies, 38 projects are behind schedule or have 
incomplete outputs. Cited among the causes of delay is the lack of competing bidders which 
results in the project not being awarded. Bidding is declared a failure when only one bidder 
bids for a project opened for bidding. 
March 19, 2024
5:49 pm
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Re-opening the bidding process to new bidders renders the process more costly and 
sets back the completion of the project. The delay caused by repeated biddings may even 
render a project eventually ineffective if the said project is time-bound. 
. . T~ere is a need to make the bidding process more efficient by reducing, if not totally 
ehmmatmg, unnecessary or redundant procedures that are bottlenecks in the bidding process 
to optimize the utilization of these ODA loans and grants. 
This bill seeks to improve the absorption capacity of ODA grants and loans and fast-
track the implementation of any ODA-funded project with only a single bidder by reducing 
the procedures in bidding. Awarding the project to the lone bidder who satisfies certain 
requirements is one sure way of cutting down redundant procedures. The requirements 
serve as safeguards to prevent unscrupulous individuals from exploiting the simplified 
process. 
In view of the urgent need to make the bidding process for ODA projects more 
efficient, the passage of this bill is immediately sought. 
GL 
MACAPAGAL-ARROYO 
Representative, 2nd District of Pampanga 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL No. ----
Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO 
AN ACT AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT No. 8182 AS AMENDED BY REPUBLIC 
ACT No. 8555 AUTHORIZING THE AWARD OF A PROJECT TO THE BIDDER 
IN CASES WHERE THERE IS ONLY A SINGLE BIDDER, AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
Section 1. Republic Act No. 8182 as amended by Republic Act No. 8555 is 
hereby amended to include new sections as follows: 
Section 5. In cases where only a single bidder bids for a project, said 
project will be awarded to said sole bidder, provided that the project is 
certified by the agency· as extremely urgent and provided further that 
the sole bidder satisfies the minimum requirements for bidders of the 
particular project. 
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) shall draw 
up the criteria for bidders prior to opening a project for bidding. 
Section 5. a. Whenever applicable, the terms and conditions provided 
under Section 2 of Republic Act No. 7718 may be used for any ODA-
funded project with only a single bidder. 
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Section 5.b. Unsolicited proposals. Section 4-A of Republic Act No. 
771 
may apply to any ODA-funded project with a single bidder, 
provided that the unsolicited proposal constitutes merely a component of 
the project and provided further that all the conditions contained in 
Section 4-A are fulfilled. 
Section 2. Applicability. This Act covers all loans and loans and grants funded 
by Official Development Assistance as defined by Republic Act No. 8182 and 
contracted after th is Act is approved. 
Sec. 3. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect after five (5) days from its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) national newspapers of 
general circulation whichever date comes first. 
Approved. 
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