More than 10 thousand results were observed during May 2022 in tenders under the heading "health and medicines", ranging from medical treatments to equipment and machinery used in the health sector.
An analysis by CentralAmericaData's Business Intelligence department shows interesting data on the processes that during May 2022 were published with contracts to provide pharmaceuticals, equipment and medical supplies to the several Ministries of Health and Social Security entities in Central American countries and the Dominican Republic.
A cut-off for the first quarter of the year shows a relevant figure in the health and medicine sector for the Central American region and the Dominican Republic.
An analysis of CentralAmericaData's Business Intelligence department shows interesting data on the processes that in the first quarter of 2022 were published with contracts to supply pharmaceuticals, equipment and medical supplies to the various Ministries of Health and Social Security entities in Central American countries and the Dominican Republic.
For the business sector in Costa Rica, the large number of direct contracts between state institutions implies a number of defects and abuses in the use of public funds.
The employers' guild is of the opinion that in direct contracting there is no guarantee that the best use is actually being made of public funds, and there are indications of a lack of transparency in contracts. Some of them have even been declared confidential.
The Unified System of Public Purchases is used by only 36% of Costa Rican State institutions.
Although the law imposed September 13, 2017 as the date on which the entire State of Costa Rica had to manage its purchases through the Unified Public Procurement System (SICOP), on that date 64% of state institutions were not using it.
President Solís has ordered ministers to suspend all tender processes for vehicles, equipment and supplies, rental of buildings and consultancies that have not yet started.
In the case of contract processes that are already underway, it will be up to head of each Ministry to decide whether to suspend them or consider them indispensable for the operation of the Ministry.
In 2016 the number of companies that sold goods and services to government institutions grew almost three times compared to 2015.
From the report "V Status Report on the SME Situation in 2016":
The V Status Report on the SME Situation in 2016 in Costa Rica indicates that sales to the state by companies that are registered in the Costa Rican Business Information System (SIEC), increased their share by 11.9%; which implies that the number of companies that sell to the state increased by 285 compared to 2015.
In the past five years direct contracting on the part of the State has increased by 90%, undermining fair competition between suppliers and adequate transparency in the use of public resources.
As the Comptroller General of the Republic points out, although the option to use the mechanism of direct purchase rather than holding a tender is legal, state entities should not abuse its use, as they have been doing in recent years.
The private sector has denounced the "clear abuse on the part of the state by forcing all agencies and public companies to make contracts with each other."
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations in the Private Business Sector (UCCAEP):
October, 2016.The Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Associations in the Private Business Sector (UCCAEP), complained to the Commission to Promote Competition (COPROCOM) that the Costa Rican government is using monopolistic practices.
The government has announced the "unification of public procurements" when the only modification from the previous situation is the change of name and the logo for "Mer-Link" to "SICOP", while keeping the CompraRed system in operation.
EDITORIAL
The officially announced "new Integrated System for Public Procurement (SICOP)" by the Solis administration is the exact same Mer-Link which has been used up until now.
The Costa Rican Social Security Department has the authorized the hiring process for acquiring angiograms for the Max Peralta Hospital in Cartago and the San Vicente de Paul Hospital, in Heredia.
By agreement of the board of the Costa Rican Social Security Department authorisation has been given for the purchase of equipment, "... which allows us to study blood vessels to determine the existence of aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations or obstructions), which will expand the diagnostic and therapeutic capacity of cardiovascular disease. "
The new system which has to unify purchases made by the Costa Rican government has been put in the hands of a company characterized by spectacular failures in its management and in the projects it has undertaken.
EDITORIAL
The importance of good management of public procurements is vital in any economy. And not just because of the direct economic impact it has on state finances, but because a system that does not promote transparency of processes and competition among suppliers causes the general productive economy to suffer as a result of the distortions that occur in the market, which is not governed by the competitiveness of products and services, but by cronyism.
Two months after having announced a new platform to centralize purchases of goods and services from the State, the contract with the state telecom company Racsa is still "under review".
After several months of discussion about which system should be chosen in order to centralize government purchasing procedures, the Ministry of Finance announced in January the creation of a new platform , which would be based on the operating system Mer-Link and would be developed by RACSA. However, the new system is still on hold and purchases are still being made using the previous two platforms, Mer-Link and CompraRed.
In order to shorten timeframes the Ministry of Transport and Public Works of Costa Rica intends to award the work not by tender but by private contest.
EDITORIAL
The difficulty in implementing public works Costa Rica is notorious, due to a heavy system of checks and guarantees which causes sometimes indefinite extensions of state infrastructure projects.
español
7944
