The Nicaraguan Social Security Institute (INSS), the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (MHCP) and the Attorney General’s Office will spend 30.1 million córdobas on the purchase of toys and Christmas baskets for their workers in 2022.
The supplier that will be awarded 98% of these funds is the company Supermercados Cereales y Vegetales, SA (Cervegsa), administered by the Nicaraguan Army, reveals a review of CONFIDENTIAL to state contracts that were published in the Electronic Administrative Contracting System (Siscae), between October and November 2022.
The contracts detail that Cereals and Vegetables, SA will receive some 29.2 million córdobas from the INSS for the purchase of Christmas baskets. These include two types: the first includes 34 products plus the container and the second 12 products, with its container lined with cellophane and ribbon. The first type will be delivered to 4,550 of its workers and the second to 20. The type of products it will contain is not specified.
Four companies participated in the tender: the Institute of Social Security and Human Development (Issdhu) —in charge of the financial administration of the Police pensions—; Everything in Nicaragua Solutions; Commercial FYV; Y beer. In 2021, this company also won contracts for the INSS Christmas basket for an amount of 24 million córdobas, the media revealed. Nicaragua Investigates.
Army store benefited
On behalf of the MHCP, 335,206 córdobas for the purchase of toys that will be delivered to the children of state workers. According to the technical specifications of the contract, they will distribute 371 toy bonuses among their employees and each of these packages will have a maximum amount of $25.
“The public servant at the time of making use of the $25 toy bonus can choose several toys of different costs that add up to the amount of said bonus,” the contract details.
This ministry also made one less purchase for 24,736 córdobas for one hundred traditional packages that will be delivered to the workers of the General Directorate of Technology of the MHCP. This was awarded to the supplier José Zeas Romero.
The Attorney General of the Republic allocated 488,800 córdobas for the purchase of 188 Christmas baskets with 20 basic products such as rice, beans, oil, sugar, coffee, among others. The provider that won this tender was the Issdhu, which was administered by the National Police, but after being sanctioned it was handed over to the Presidency.
In Nicaragua, the Issdhu is the entity in charge of the Social Security of the National Police and other departments of the Ministry of the Interior such as the Penitentiary System, Migration and Aliens. Therefore, their participation in these bidding processes is outside of their model.
In years past, the Issdhu has won such contracts. At the end of 2021, the National Assembly approved the disbursement of 21 million córdobas in payment of basic baskets that they distributed to their active workers and also to retirees during January and December 2022.
In Siscae there are also other State ministries and institutions that are in the bidding process for New Year’s Eve and Christmas gifts. Among these, the National Assembly and the General Directorate of Customs Services (DGA) stand out. These are in the evaluation process.
Presidency has not yet tendered Christmas purchases
Neither the Presidency nor the Vice Presidency of the Republic have started their bidding processes. However, in the SISCAE archive, the gifts that they gave to their staff during the Father’s and Mother’s Day celebrations stand out.
Among these, the purchase of 197 smart watches with a total cost of 302,716 córdobas. These were purchased by the Presidency from the company Tecnología Computarizada, SA known as Comtech and were delivered in celebration of Father’s Day.
For Mother’s Day, they purchased 144 sets of 16-piece tableware and decorative cushions with congratulations to mothers. These gifts cost 165,269 córdobas and were purchased from Cervegsa (C$128,837) and from the supplier Michelle Fornos Sánchez (C$36,432).
In 2021, the Presidency allocated C$ 258,091 to purchase fruit baskets for your employees, according to Siscae historical records. These were purchased from Distribuidora Dos Robles, SA
Regime gives 17 days of Christmas holidays
The Government of Nicaragua, chaired by the Sandinista Daniel Ortega, reported that state workers will have 17 days of vacation between next December and January, on the occasion of the Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties.
“We will go on vacation on Thursday, December 22 at the end of the day, and we will return to our jobs or work on Monday, January 9”said the vice president of Nicaragua, Rosario Murillo, through official media.
With this decision, at least 160,000 state workers will enjoy payroll for 17 days, except for those who hold positions that require permanent presence.
This means that all State activities, except emergency ones, will be frozen in the last week of this year and the first week of 2023, according to the information.
