PEA Tollway to avail of BayanTrade e-bidding

The PEA Tollway Corp. (PEATC), the joint venture between the government-owned Public Estates Authority (PEA) and Malaysian construction firm UEM-MARA, has jumped into the e-commerce bandwagon by availing of the online bidding service of BayanTrade, the country’s leading provider of e-commerce services.

The company said it will avail itself of BayanTrade’s e-bidding service to cut costs and promote transparency across its purchasing processes. In addition, PEATC will make use of BayanTrade’s Quick Procure Promo – a free e-procurement trial package – to buy maintenance and repair operations (MRO) items online.

Since its inception nearly two years ago, BayanTrade has provide an alternative platform in the form of online business transactions initially for use of its founding consortium members, made up of the country’s six biggest conglomerates; Benpress Holdings, Ayala Corp., PLDT, Aboitiz Equity Ventures, United Laboratories and JG Summit Holdings.

With estimated deals worth P5.5 billion last year BayanTrade officials said this amount could double to about P10.5 billion by this year as more companies link up to their system.

Among the recent BayanTrade corporate subscribers include US electronic firm Texas Instruments and construction company D.M. Consunji.

With PEATC, purchases worth more than P100,000 will be coursed through the e-marketplace, said Irvin Sarsoza, PEATC manager from administration and HR. With e-bidding, PEATC will be able to cut inventories and costs, attain transparency in procurement, and meet urgent company supply needs.

"For the month of May, PEATC plans to buy more than P2.2-million worth of goods through e-bidding. These are maintenance and repair operations (MRO) items, such as guard rails, proximity sensors, vehicle classification equipment and printers," Sarsoza said.

PEATC has already acknowledged the gains from using e-commerce technology, Sarsoza added. "With shorter bid-cycle time and more accurate transaction processes, PEATC expects higher efficiency and much lower purchasing costs."

e-Bidding facilities dynamic pricing and real-time transactions where several suppliers compete to sell goods and services online. Buyers use a web-based procurement tool to scan for the best materials and buy them at the best prices possible.

PEATC will make its initial transaction worth P1.7 million this month. It also plans to subscribe to BayanTrade’s e-catalogue service, Sarsoza said.

"e-Bidding with BayanTrade is a simple and quick process which demands minimal manpower and technical support. This set-up results in substantial savings and profit for both buyer and supplier," said Carol Carreon, BayanTrade president and CEO.

Carreon said any product or service sourced through the traditional bidding process can be successfully purchased through BayanTrade’s e-Bidding service to enable both buyers and suppliers generate significant benefits.

BayanTrade will also train PEATC end-users on how to bid online. "BayanTrade conducts comprehensive seminars to equip our customers with the ABC’s of e-Business. These training modules help them shift from the traditional way of buying supplies into the more efficient online process," said Carreon.