While there is a clear need for a long term, consistent and sustained policy in Costa Rica, corporate and business interests are staging a war which is impeding the development of the Digital Government.
Editorial
An article on Crhoy.com highlights the main concepts dealt with in a recent eLAC forum (Building inclusive and innovative digital societies in Latin America and the Caribbean), and reviews the current status of Costa Rica's digital agenda, which currently has as its central theme a long conflict between state agencies over which Government procurement system should prevail, and which of these departments should rule on the issue.
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 ... Members of the Committee on Revenue and Public Expenditure yesterday received representatives from Digital Government and the Ministry of Finance, who are fighting over which is the best system to use for public procurement."
Despite a direct order from the president, Costa Rican ministerial bureaucracy is still blocking a system which looks to eliminate corruption in public procurements.
The Ministry of Finance has not yet signed the decree establishing the mandatory use of Mer-Link in procurement processes, which could delay its implementation in January 2014.
Nacion.com reports: "Although the first version of the decree was received by the Ministry of Finance on 6 June, it has yet to be signed, a fact which will delay implementation of the system, according to the director of the Digital Government, Alicia Avendaño".
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.
Using an electronic procurement system, Mer-Link, the government will promote a 'Dutch auction' or auction to buy at the lowest price.
Alicia Avendaño, director of the Technical Secretariat of Digital Government, told La Prensa Libre, that they will start with an online auction after the first week of September. This procedure has not been previously applied at the level of state purchases.
A new government procurement system will improve acquisition times, eliminate bureaucracy and save resources.
The system of "electronic catalog shopping", will also provide a solution to the problem of overpricing in government procurement and provide greater transparency to the process.
The Minister of Finance, William Chong Wong said that this year’s system includes six products and more will be added progressively.
As part of the "Paperless Panama" scheme, the National Authority for Government Innovation is putting out to tender a system that will optimize the performance of governmental functions.
According to the specifications of the tender, the contract is for the supply, implementation and operation of:
A) Platform Interoperability
B) A Procedures Management System that supports analysis, design and development of an electronic application process with an initial 100 government procedures and the approval of five (5) processes
The system for performing government transactions online now allows data about procurement processes to be exchanged between institutions.
There are now 14 procedures that can be done online through the Mer-Link system which has been implemented by the Technical Secretariat of Digital Government.
Also there are 14 state enterprises participating in the system, which can share information about providers participating in the bidding for tenders.
Costa Rica's new state procurement website is scheduled for February 2010.
Grupo ICE, together with the Technical Secretary for Digital Government and the State Procurement System of Korea will implement the system, so-called Mer-Link.
Krissia Morris writes at Prensa Libre's website: "The first module includes providers registration and product catalog.
The country will adopt the South Korean online purchase system which allows all the paperwork to be completed electronically.
The Nacion.com website published: "By being a fully digital process, it ensures greater transparency, increases supplier participation and achieves better prices."
The implementation of the system will require an investment of less than $8 million by the government.
Various government authorities are promoting three different system in efforts that seem to be heading in conflicting directions.
The drive to become the platform for directing all public purchases is increasing.
There is now the possibility that the purchasing system of the ICE (Costa Rica Institute of Electricity) will become the base for ordering public acquisitions and evolve to the electronic phase, which is already being disputed by CompraRed and Crcompr@s.