The Social Security Fund in Panama will allocate the amount to the purchase of supplies, reagents, calibrators, controllers and analyzers for clinical laboratory tests.
Laestrella.com.pa reports that "...This authorization of the expense includes three lines, with each one containing innumerable laboratory tests and that must be supplied for a period of four years, informed the National Logistics Office.Among the inputs included in this acquisition are those for: hepatitis, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, hemoglobin."
The Ministry of Public Finance in Guatemala has awarded contracts to 13 companies for the supply of minor surgical medical equipment.
204 types of products were awarded, including bandages of different types, splints, disposable instruments, various materials for laboratory areas and instruments for video surgeries.
The companies given awarded are: Servicios Quirúrgicos S.A.
The government of Guatemala has announced that due to a drought which is forecast for the remainder of the year, it will extend the program for Operation Opportunity and will spend $130 million on food.
This project aims to expand the food delivery program until November, since according to forecasts presented by the meteorological services of Guatemala and the United States, the drought period could last until August.
Contracts have been awarded in Guatemala for the supply of oral and perenteral nutrition, contrast media, fluids and electrolytes, and master formulas.
The Ministry of Public Finance awarded 10 companies with contracts to provide 34 types of medical products. The selected companies are Laboratorio Ruipharma, Droguería Colón, Corporación Amicelco, Laboratorio y Droguería Pharmadel, Farmaproyectos, Bodega Farmacéutica, Droguería y Laboratorio Pharmalat, Droguería Refasa, Lavsa and Agencia Farmacéutica Internacional.
Contracts have been awarded in Panama of contracts for the supply, storage, transportation and delivery of materials and medical supplies for the Social Security Department.
Of the 59 products tendered only 54 were awarded to the companies Terapias Avanzadas S.A., Medline Solutions Panama Inc., Alta Tecnología Médica S.A., Alpha Mediq S.A., Kendall S.A., Hospimédica Panamá S.A., Compañía Astor S.A., 3M Panamá, U.S.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transportation has announced that it plans to publish, in the next three months, the tender documents for mobile laboratories for blood alcohol.
Currently the Costa Rican Social Security is the body responsible for carrying out blood alcohol tests, but according to the Traffic Act 9078, this should be undertaken by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, an organization which is working on the terms of the tender, which will be published before May 2015.
In a "Solomonic" decision, the Ministry of Finance has decided to settle the dispute between CompraRed and Merlink, ordering the development of a new platform, giving the moribund state telecom company RACSA something to do.
EDITORIAL
With the introduction of the yet to be developed Integrated Public Procurement System (SICOP by its initials in Spanish), an end could be given to the bitter struggle between different groups of state officials and private providers over "their" respective public procurement systems.
A law has been amended to give discretion to the Council of Secretaries of State to authorize the purchase of second hand machinery and equipment parts.
With the adopted reform the Executive Branch is authorized to purchase used equipment and machinery for the purpose of promoting efficiency and savings in public procurements. Although the ban on the state buying used goods holds, exceptions have been made in cases to be determined by the Council of Secretaries of State .
The Guatemalan government has extended until December the term of three contracts for the supply of medical supplies.
The first contract was extended by the Ministry of Finance and aims to acquire "products for oral and parenteral nutrition, contrast media, liquids and electrolytes, antiseptics, master formulas, vitamins and other products", reported PrensaLibre.com.
The Government has increased by $17 million the budget for the purchase of more than 30,000 guns and assault rifles.
According to Mauricio Lopez Bonilla, Minister of the Interior, this budget limit will be authorized by agreement. "It will indicate that we have authorized a ceiling of about $45 million to acquire the weapons. But that does not mean that's what we're going to spend. "
Using 'by exception' purchase procedures, the government of Guatemala is looking for the supply of 80,000 bags of food.
Elperiodico.com.gt reports: "The company will supply beans, rice, maize flour, vegetable oil, corn and soy flour, sugar, oats, and transport services."
"We urgently need to buy the product," said Elmer Lopez, chief of Agriculture.
As this is a matter of national security, the government will begin the process for purchasing 33,000 firearms without a tender.
This was announced by Guatemalan President Otto Perez, who ordered the Interior Ministry to start the process of purchasing weapons for the National Civil Police force. According to Pérez, with this measure they will speed up the time to acquire weapons and avoid facing appeals being made by losing companies in bidding processes.
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.
From January 2014, the Government of Costa Rica will use Merlink as its sole purchasing platform.
According to Alicia Avendaño, secretary to the Digital Government, the transition to a single electronic procurement system is in the phase of adjustment, and should be ready in July.
Elfinancierocr.com reports that "migration to Merlink is tied to a bill to strengthen the leadership of the Ministry of Finance in this regard.
The Government of Guatemala is studying the direct purchase of 500,000 passport booklets after the dismissal of a second tender process which sought to acquire the booklets.
Taking part in the contest were two bidders, which contravenes the Government Procurement Act, since the process was conducted in the form of "expression of interest", which is supposed to have only one participant.