NFA to standardize contracts

MANILA, Philippines — State-run National Food Authority (NFA) will start implementing this year standard terms of reference (TOR) for its contracted services.

The grains agency recently finalized a standard TOR for security, trucking, hauling and warehouse handling, among others, and will implement this in all its offices nationwide.

“The standardization of TORs for service contracts will realize a true, transparent and competitive bidding in NFA services,” NFA administrator Jason Aquino said.

Aquino earlier noted that previous contracts and memoranda of agreement and understanding entered into by NFA’s central and field offices varied in form and content even if they were compliant with pertinent provisions of the law.

In response, Aquino required all NFA central office departments  and regional managers to submit to the agency’s Legal Affairs Department all copies of contracts entered into in 2016 and earlier and hold the signing and execution of new contracts and agreements.

The objective was to review and standardize all NFA contracts across its 15 regional and 89 provincial offices nationwide.

The NFA created a team to look into the existing contracts and draft a uniform or standardized format and TOR for specific agreements such as services, supplies, and linkages with other government agencies, the private sector and local government units.