A SINGLE Platform for State Purchases  

Transparency in purchases made by the State is the main barrier to combating corruption of public officials and the only way to ensure fair competition between suppliers.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

In all Central American countries resistance to single platforms for government procurement is headed by public officials who thrive on the old systems of administration which kept processes and decisions regarding expenditure in the dark.

An editorial in Nacion.com reviews in detail the advantages of a unified state procurement system, and although it focuses on the current situation in Costa Rica, the concepts are applicable to any country.

"... With a unified system, the number of suppliers is multiplied and competition between them is at the service of the buyer, ie the state. Offers are transparent. Anyone can consult and competitors are the first controls regarding justice of the award, which is subject to the supervision by the media, politicians and concerned citizens."

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More on this topic

Costa Rica: Still Two Public Procurement Systems

August 2014

Mer-Link and CompraRed are fighting each other, "as if they were two private companies seeking to address the issue of the Costa Rican state."

An article on Crhoy reports that "Deputies are asking the government to accelerate the transfer of purchases to the Mer-Link system ...

Costa Rica: TWO Public Procurement Systems

July 2014

If transparency is to be achieved, there must be one single platform so that procurement processes can be fully digital and access to information fully transparent.

EDITORIAL

An article on Nacion.com reports that "... The head of Digital Government, Alicia Avendaño affirmed that there are concerns about the apparent lack of interest of current government institutions over migrating public procurements to the Mer-Link system, promoted by the previous government. "

A Single System for State Purchases

April 2014

In Costa Rica it seems that that the war has ended between the two systems used for government purchases with Mer-Link emerging as the winner.

The Ministries of Health, Economics, Education and the Presidency were the first entities to start to comply with the presidential order issued in the middle of last year to use the Mer Link digital system for procurement processes of goods and services.

Costa Rica Seeks to Unify State Purchases

April 2013

The struggle between the two main systems used for Costa Rican government purchases could end with Mer-Link being the winner.

From a press release issued by the President of Costa Rica:

In order to facilitate the establishment of a National System of Public Procurement, the president of the Republic, Laura Chinchilla Miranda, signed this morning a guideline for all the institutions which make up the Civil Service to unify their methods of procuring goods and services.

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