The President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, assured yesterday that they will carry out oversight processes in State institutions to encourage a culture of honesty and transparency in the country.
Abinader made the statement during the launch of the “Observatory of Good Practices” that aims to ensure transparent processes in the tenders, purchases and contracting of tourism works carried out by the Executing Committee of Tourism Infrastructures (Ceiztur).
The president stated that for “decades” no real investigations had been carried out in official agencies, where even the auditors appointed for such never exercised in this area, a situation that he now understands has already changed.
“For the first time audits are being carried out in State institutions… work is being done, audits have already been carried out,” emphasized the president.
He reiterated that a culture of transparency and honesty is still needed in the country, since “we are in a time of transition towards a government that wants to do the right things, but we are not all going at the same speed.”
He argued that investments do not reach a country where institutions are not respected, nor is there justice, and that on the contrary, they move where every penny is invested in a rational, transparent, efficient and urgent manner. He pointed out that of all these controls of the Government, the greatest that there can be is from civil society, through academia and personalities of recognized moral credit.
In the same way, he highlighted the creation of volunteers in hospitals to help in the management and to supervise and that within his instructions was to audit the procedures.
Mitur says students will be observers in bidding works
Students from private universities will oversee bids to be carried out in infrastructure works in the country’s tourism sector, as reported yesterday by the Ministry of Tourism.
During the official launch of the “Observatory of Good Practices” for the works to be developed by the Executing Committee of Tourist Infrastructures (Ceiztur).
Representatives of the private sector, tourism cluster, the Catholic, Adventist and Evangelical Church will also be observers of this initiative.
Several students from Unibe, Unphu, Intec, Pucmm and Unapec universities have already participated in the oversight process of some 32 works.
The objective of the observatory will be to guarantee unrestricted compliance with Law 340-06, on Purchases and Hiring of Goods, Services and Works.
This was reported by the head of the Mitur David Collado during the presentation of this initiative in a hotel in the city, in the presence of President Abinader, representatives of several private universities, as well as executives from the country’s tourism sector.
Collado said that this observatory will also have a digital application through which anyone can access the bidding process to verify its status, as well as to be able to contribute ideas or suggestions for works or infrastructure solutions that are needed in the community. The Directorate of Ethics and the Network of Universities created this observatory in 2021 to ensure transparency.
Observations made by university students
The Administrative and Financial Vice Chancellor of the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (Intec), Alliet Ortega, explained during the aforementioned launch that the scope of the oversight is based on all the mandatory stages of the process from planning, preparation, call, adjudication and all the stages of offers, budget, prequalification, contract award and payment. She reported that by 2021 the processes seen by this RUNED oversight commission are a total of 22 processes, of which 17 are in the status of awarded and contracted for works currently in execution; 4 deserts, some of them in the relaunch phase and one not published, ready to climb a technical part. She added that by 2022 the commission has seen 10 processes, among them 7 are ongoing in their phases prior to the award; 2 with awarded and contracted status and within the recommendations request to continue with the advances in the process. The rector of the Intec, Julio Sánchez Maríñez, stressed that participation is multiplied because it makes them feel accompanied and with positive steps in the process of collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, while highlighting the Government’s intention.
