The President seeks to control spending by managing State assets through Procurement

President Luis Abinader issued Decree No. 385-25, through which he instructs the General Directorate of Public Procurement (DGCP) to design, implement, and administer a Single Inventory Management System for Consumer Goods for entities and bodies of the Public Administration that use the Electronic Public Procurement System (SECP).

This measure aims to eliminate duplication in purchases, reduce unnecessary spending, and ensure more transparent, efficient, and traceable management of the use of public resources.

With the implementation of the system, the aim is to correct practices of poor planning and promote a more orderly Public Administration, which integrates inventory information into its procurement and budget processes.

The DGCP will be the body responsible for leading this change, ensuring that public institutions carry out a mandatory evaluation of their inventories before starting any procurement process, in order to verify that there is a real need.

This prior verification will help prevent unnecessary or duplicate purchases, and ensure a rational use of available goods, which will impact the efficiency of public spending and fiscal sustainability.

Consumer goods are those used daily by public institutions in the provision of their services, such as stationery, cleaning materials, medical supplies, maintenance products, among others.

The decree also stipulates that the new system be integrated into the Integrated Financial Administration System of the State (SIAFE), allowing inventory information to be considered in the financial and budgetary planning of the institutions.

The measure contemplates the creation of a technical coordination table, under the direction of the DGCP, which will be in charge of the development of the registration, administration, and inspection processes of these assets, as well as the definition of accounting guidelines, storage policies, and monitoring and auditing mechanisms to ensure their correct management.

In addition to the DGCP, the table is made up of the Ministry of Finance, the General Comptroller’s Office of the Republic, the General Budget Directorate (Digepres) and the General Directorate of Governmental Accounting (Digecog).

 With this initiative, the Dominican government reaffirms its commitment to a more efficient, transparent public management aligned with the best international practices in public procurement and expenditure control.