Dominican Republic launches Eficompras to revolutionise small-scale public procurement

The Dominican government has unveiled Eficompras, a new virtual purchasing platform designed to speed up low-value public procurement and widen access for smaller suppliers.

President Luis Abinader launched the system on 18 August, saying the country was now well placed to share its experience with others in the region. He described the initiative as an advance in public buying and contracting, and said it would make state purchases more efficient, useful and transparent, parti...

According to the General Directorate of Public Procurement, or DGCP, the platform is integrated into the Electronic Public Procurement System and is intended for purchases below the current threshold of RD$268,111.38. The agency says the process that previously took several days should now be reduced to minutes.

DGCP director Carlos Pimentel said the tool was built to shorten procurement times and give micro, small and medium-sized enterprises a greater role in supplying the state. The platform lets public bodies browse an online catalogue, assemble an order, validate the budget through the financial management system, confirm the purchase and wait for activation before payment and delivery.

The DGCP said Eficompras was developed over two years and tested in a pilot programme that ended on 17 August, involving the Ministry of Finance, the National Lottery and seven other public institutions. The trial generated 29 orders, a catalogue of 777 products and more than 89,633 qualified suppliers. Under Resolution PNP-07-2026, published in July, use of the platform will be mandatory for all bodies covered by Law 47-25 after a 90-day period for adaptation and training.

Source: Noah Wire Services