Ruby Alvarez Email & Phone Number

As Procurement Director, Ruby managed the timely procurement of contracts and ensured that all procurements were done in accord with Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC) Program Procurement Guidelines and best international practice. Major accomplishments include the successful procurement of four large works contracts (total of US$ 215 Million) for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of a 220 km. road in Samar, Philippines, a US$ 6 Million contract for the public awareness program of the Philippines Bureau of Internal Revenue, purchase of at least US$1 Million worth of IT equipment and goods, and supervision of community-driven procurement (total of at least US$100 Million) under the KALAHI-CIDSS (Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive Integrated Delivery of Social Service) program of the Philippines Department of Social Welfare and Development. Key functions include: (i) spearheading the identification of procurement needs, preparation and progress monitoring of the semi-annual procurement plans and organizing procurement operations; (ii) managing the release of (including reviewing and approving) bid documents, procurement plans, procurement implementation plans, technical and final evaluation reports, minutes of negotiations, procurement performance reports, purchase orders, contracts and all other required documents and recommending any necessary changes or improvements to ensure compliance with MCC’s Procurement Guidelines; (iii) facilitating the preparation and submission of the terms of reference, specification of goods and/or scope of work, as the case may be, by the technical staff; and (iv) supporting management in maintaining the integrity, transparency and confidentiality of the procurement process.

As Assistant Secretary, Ruby supervised DBM’s legal and legislative office and represented the department in various congressional hearings on bills with funding implications. She also served concurrently as Chairperson of the DBM’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) where she led the procurement unit in planning, preparing bidding documents, and improving procurement performance of the department. Under her leadership, the BAC successfully embarked on the procurement of non-traditional goods and services for the department, such as cashless purchase cards for the military (a joint reform project of the DBM and the Department of National Defense – Armed Forces of the Philippines), web-based e-mail service, document management system, and construction of a multi-purpose building under a design-and-build scheme.

As Executive Director, she led the team in providing research, technical and administrative support to the Philippines Government Procurement and Policy Board including: (i) research-based procurement policy, recommendations and rule drafting; (ii) development and updating of generic procurement manuals and standard bidding forms; (iii) management and conduct of training on procurement systems and procedures; (iv) evaluation of the effectiveness of the government procurement system and recommendation of improvements in systems and procedures; and (v) monitoring compliance and assisting procuring entities improve their compliance. Major accomplishments include: (i) issuance of the first set of procurement rules that was harmonized with procedures of the development partners/international donor institutions (e.g., World Bank, Asian Development Bank, etc.); (ii) development of standards and indicators to assess an agency’s compliance and procurement performance; (iii) in active collaboration with civil society organizations (CSOs), produced the first CSO manual on procurement; and (iv) development of a professionalization program for procurement practitioners in government. She represented the Philippines as Co-Chairperson of the OECD/DAC (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) Task Force on Procurement. One of the achievements of this Task Force is the development of the OECD/DAC Methodology for the Assessment of Procurement Systems (MAPS), a tool used by most developing countries to assess the quality and effectiveness of their national procurement systems. Other areas of importance for the Task Force included capacity development and providing a forum in which partner countries share their experiences with one another.

As Director, she led the legal team in rendering legal opinions on various budgetary issues, representing the department in court, and in preparing the President’s veto message. She also served concurrently as the Vice-Chairperson of DBM Bids and Awards Committee, which had the primary responsibility of implementing the newly-enacted Government Procurement Reform Act in the department.

Ruby provided legal advice to leagues of cities and municipalities regarding local fiscal and taxation policies. She prepared legal studies on joint venture and public service contracts as alternative vehicles for financing infrastructure projects of local governments. She also led the research team in the preparation of a comprehensive review and analysis of national government policies affecting local fiscal autonomy.

Ruby drafted and negotiated various commercial documents relating to share acquisition, joint venture, loan financing and restructuring projects. She also handled the incorporation and corporate housekeeping of several non-profit and for-profit corporate clients, and advised them on labor relations. She was a member of the team that worked for the financing of the Metro Manila Skyway and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal III projects. She was responsible for (i) the legal due diligence examination, (ii) drafting, review and finalization of financing and project documents, and (iii) verification of compliance with closing requirements. She also prepared and negotiated service contracts with local governments, government agencies, financing institutions and joint venture partners in connection with various water supply and sewerage projects in different localities of the Philippines.