The Director General of Public Procurement, Carlos Pimentel, He assured yesterday that the public procurement system has been transformed, managing to redirect RD$15,844 million (through preventive monitoring) that would be squandered or misused by various institutions, as well as RD$9,300 million, due to suspended processes.
By participating in the Corripio Communications Group Week LunchThe official detailed the progress of the system and the level of trust achieved over the last four years.
“Participation in state contracting processes has increased by more than 40 percent and to date we have more than 120 thousand state suppliers, this is because there is more transparency,” said the official.
Can read: Herrera Carbuccia, president of the Academy of Sciences
According to what was explained by the official during the period 2020-2024, more than 60 percent Contracts have been awarded to different suppliers, indicating that public contracts are not being allocated to a “small group” as was the case in the past.
He also said that 70% of the suppliers who have participated in the process have benefited at least once.
These data indicate that we have generated more confidence in the system, he said.
After assessing the impact of the Electronic Contracting Systemsaid there has been an increase in the use of this tool by local governments and hospitals.
“In four years we went from 47 local governments to 183, while the number of hospitals rose from 19 to 79,” he said.
Shelved
He recalled that when he took office he found 230 cases shelved and that in the first hundred days they resolved 217.
To date, they have issued 2,600 decisions on resources, precautionary measures, ex officio investigations, among others.
“We have worked tirelessly to reduce late payments and response times,” he said.
He recalled that previously the average time between the call for tenders and the award of a public tender process was 150 working days, while today it is only 68 working days. “Each process is now more agile and effective,” he added.
Respect for the law
For the first time in the history of the DGCP, the State Supplier Registry (RPE) of ministers, senators, deputies, mayors and councilors is being suspended for violating article 14 of Law 340-06.
In this regard, nearly 500 state supplier registrations have been suspended.
In addition, more than 100 suppliers have been disqualified for non-compliance or participating in processes with altered or false documentation.
When elaborating on the initiatives implemented, the official referred to the “Compliance Program”, which has allowed us to have a presence in 17 institutions and two trusts to support the purchasing processes and detect any risk that may arise.
“These institutions represent more than 75 percent of the national budget,” he said.
Cause gain
In assessing the merits of the decisions taken by the DGCP, he indicated that they have a 95 percent success rate in the case in terms of the sentences appealed by the affected parties.
Almost 200 rulings in favor, which confirms that they act in accordance with the law, comply with due process and are guarantors of legal security.
Axles
“We have indicators that show that we are facing another public procurement system, which is supported by a strategy based on three axes: guaranteeing and promoting transparency; achieving efficiency in contracts and third, impacting the economy by generating jobs. In this context, he cited the importance of guaranteeing the participation of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
The law stipulates that at least 20 percent of the procurement budget must be allocated to this sector. Today, the average is 32.50 percent.
Pimentel was accompanied at the luncheon by the institution’s directors, Jenifer Polanco, head of the Verification department; Katherine Gutiérrez, from Standards and Procedures; and Carlos Romero, director of Management.
