The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mirex) did not establish the percentage of profits that the Dominican State will obtain for the rates of consular services which will be operated by a private company.
The documents on the contracting of the external service provider do not establish the profits for the Dominican Republic either. It was only specified that the hiring does not imply an expense of the State budget or any of its institutions.
It was indicated that the supplier that is the winner of the tender will obtain the remuneration for the provision of the service through the collection of the rate of services provided, established the Chancellery in the technical report issued to its purchasing and contracting committee.
Justification
The variation in the cost of consular servicesthe lack of a tool to count the process and the response time led to the Mirax to carry out the pilot plan, which is executed at a time when there were complaints of discretion in the collection of services.
This pilot plan will be done as a way to have “transparency in collections and standardize costs”, indicated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We have compiled enough elements that have allowed us to identify the deficiencies of the current processes. The time has come to accompany the diagnosis with a modern, efficient and satisfactory solution”, said the Foreign Minister Robert Alvarez.
This is a pilot plan that will begin in the Dominican consulates located in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Caracas Venezuela; Boston, United States; Santiago de Chile, in Chile; Barcelona, in Spain; and Beijing, in China.
The Chancellery did not report why the decision was made to start the pilot plan in these six locations. According to the results obtained from the project, it is intended to extend its application to more cities.
Offer price and service fee
The rate will be approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mirax), according to the offer presented and awarded.
Every bidder will set a rate in the local currency of each place where the service will be provided for the concept of receiving and processing the consular serviceswhich will be referenced to US dollars and the average will be taken to determine the offer.
The Dominican Republic has 47 consulates and 30 consular sections in the same number of embassies. These offices serve a diaspora that exceeds two and a half million people.
The main services requested by Dominicans abroad are the issuance or renewal of passports, issuance of identity cards, transcription of birth certificates, notarial acts and, in general, civil registry acts.
The service provider may not examine applications, conduct interviews, make decisions on applications, print visa stamps, affix visa stamps, issue or print passport books because these are the competence of the Mirax.
Contract and start of service
The term of the contract will be no more than three years from the date of its signing and until its faithful fulfillment.
For each locality, the successful bidder will have a period of up to six months to enable the premises where the service will be provided, from the signing of the contract. The details will be specified in the contract.
Data
In the six places selected to start the pilot, 11,523 visas from the year 2019 to 2021. In addition, 33,348 passports in the same period.
