A new procurement law defines reference prices for the tenders, regulates reverse auctions, and establishes Guatecompras as the only system to be used to manage purchases.
Congress has approved the first amendments to the Law on Government Procurements, among which is the establishment of Guatecompras as the only system authorized for state institutions to make purchases from.
The Ministry of Government of Guatemala has awarded eight companies with contracts for the purchase of equipment and uniforms for the National Civil Police.
Using the 'By Exception' purchase method and restricted to firms previously invited to bid, the Interior Ministry awarded contracts to eight companies for the supply of computer equipment and telecommunications, electricity, security and armaments, textiles and others items for $37 million.
The Spanish company Talent Ingeniería, Instalaciones y Servicios S.L., had been awarded the construction of phase 2 of the plant 's wastewater treatment plant area in San Benito, Petén .
The note sent by the Controller General of Accounts (CGC) to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources , Roxana Sobenes, which recommends cancelling the process reveals " ...
Now it will be possible to know who will technically and legally evaluate the conditions for purchasing processes, and those who make up the awarding body of the events.
From a press release by the Ministry of Finance in Guatemala:
The Ministry of Finance will implement, from Monday September 30, the first phase of modifications to the web portal "Sistema de Información de Contrataciones y Adquisiciones del Estado -GUATECOMPRAS (www.guatecompras.gt) -" which increases transparency and makes information available on purchases and acquisitions by government and state run entities.
The Ministry of Government in Guatemala is planning to build a 10-story building to be used by the Intelligence department.
According to Mauricio Lopez, chief of the institution, the idea is that the new building will be the headquarters for the technology platform project and Plan C4I (command, control, communications, computers and intelligence). "It's a great space that is being wasted and we need to construct a building for the technology platform," he said.
The Ministry of Finance intends to give the public more and better access to information provided by the website Guatecompras.
From a press release published by Diario de Centro América:
In order to make purchasing and tendering processes more transparent, and so that the information for audit is fully accessible to the public, from June the Ministry of Public Finance (Minfin) will make changes to the website Guatecompras.
The portal Guatecompras has disabled the access for purchasing and procurement to 214 taxpayers who are in arrears in tax payments
Elperiodico.com.gt reports that "A total of 214 individuals and companies were disabled by the administrator of the state’s e-procurement portal (www.guatecompras.gt) for the past two days, because they have tax debts with the Superintendency of Tax Administration (SAT), and therefore can not participate in the process of purchasing and procurement. "
Purchases are awarded on a competitive basis only 18% of the time. This was the previous government’s usual practice, and it seems to be same under the administration of Perez Molina.
According to Marvin Flores, expert from transparency watchdog Acción Ciudadana (AC in Spanish), this practice lends itself to anomalous acts in government, by public officials.
As of April 1st suppliers of goods and services for the State must send copies of legal and financial documentation through web portal Guatecompras.
The legislation seeks greater control of suppliers and to prevent money laundering.
Providers who fail to comply with the rules cannot make offers to any government agencies.
Providers must attach electronic documents as evidence like articles of incorporation, identification of the representatives or owners; appointments, mandates, patents and other documents supporting the information," reported Lorena Alvarez from Elperiodico.com.gt.
The Public Finances Ministry introduced new regulations for state acquisition of goods or services.
Suppliers are now required to declare under oath, in the submitted proposals, that all the included information is true.
Additionally, in order to be included in the state’s supplier registry, companies must detail the identities of owners, representatives, directors and shareholders.
State institutions will now have to publish in the web site "Guatecompras" their direct purchases over $1.207.
In another modification, the State is now obliged to publish information on all the phases of the purchasing process.
From Prensalibre.com: "... article 23, obliges the state to reveal the basis, technical specifications, evaluation criteria, questions, answers, lists of suppliers, statements of award and contracts, in all the stages of the bidding process".
Within the amendments of the Contracting Law, a proposal was formulated to implement changes in the web site Guatecompras.
Prensalibre.com publishes in its website: "If these modifications are incorporated into the initiative—that is to be approved in its third reading—, the national and international agencies and the associations and trusts, among others, will be obligated to use Guatecompras."