The academic coordinator of the Master's Degree in Environmental Policy, Law and Management of the Universidad Austral (UA), María Belén Aliciardi, recently participated in the Public Procurement Forum “Transforming public procurement into well-being for the people”, which was developed in Dominican Republic and which included the participation of the president of that country, Luis AbinaderThe activity took place on September 10th and 11th.

On behalf of the UA, Aliciardi -who also works as a consultant on sustainable public procurement at the IDB- participated in the meeting which was organized by the General Directorate of Public Procurement (DGCP) of the Dominican Republic for to discuss how government procurement can generate sustainable development and greater transparency.

“This forum is a space to consider how every peso invested by the State can become a seed of equity, innovation, and sustainability. How every purchase can simultaneously be a tool for social inclusion, business strengthening, and environmental protection,” the president said. Abinader at the opening of the meeting.

Belén Aliciardi, Luis Abinader (President of the Dominican Republic), Carlos Pimentel and Melvin Asin (Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union in the Dominican Republic).

The forum's objectives were to foster collective reflection on opportunities and challenges linked to the triple impact approach posed by the implementation of the new Public Procurement Law in that country, as well as to promote the incorporation of inclusion, sustainability and innovation criteria in public procurement procedures and generate practical recommendations to enrich the application of the new regulations, as explained by the organizers. 

Also participating in the meeting was the Purchasing Director of the Dominican Republic, Carlos Pimentel Florenzán; the representative of the European Union, Melvin Asín; from the IDB, Ariel Zaltsman and the World Bank, María Alejandra Shecker, among other authorities.

Public procurement is a key area of ​​government management, as it provides the means for acquiring goods, services, and works essential for the functioning of the State and the implementation of public policies. It also represents a strategic pillar for a country's economic, social, and environmental development.

On the opening day of the forum, Aliciardi He gave a keynote address entitled “Triple Impact Economy for the Well-being of the People,” in which he emphasized that the President’s presence at the opening of the meeting demonstrates “the country’s commitment to the transformation of contracts and sustainable public procurement.”

The specialist - who has been working with more than 10 countries in the region on the issue of sustainable procurement - referred to the need for procurement to "stop being an administrative tool and become an engine of development."

“We need to shift to a logic of social value instead of economic savings. Instead of asking ourselves 'How much does it cost?' we need to ask ourselves other questions: With this contract, who are we benefiting, which suppliers do we want to strengthen? What do we want to achieve with this contract, what footprint will it have on the environment, what will be the impact on the most vulnerable populations?” he said.

“These are the questions we have to ask ourselves if we want to transform public procurement into an engine of a country’s triple impact,” he emphasized.

On the other hand, he highlighted the recent implementation in the Dominican Republic of Law 47-25 on public procurement, which “challenges, raises the standard, contributes to sustainability, and transforms it into a triple bottom line that benefits the people.” “This law moves beyond viewing public procurement as a mere administrative procedure and establishes it as a strategic tool. Furthermore, it incorporates the principle of inclusion, thereby opening the field to more SMEs,” he emphasized. 

“In the Dominican Republic, as in the rest of the world, the largest purchaser is the government, and therein lies the challenge of what we do with our budget. It not only has to fulfill a social function but must also have a multiplier effect on the population,” he reflected.

Belén Aliciardi and Carlos Pimentel, head of the General Directorate of Public Procurement of the Dominican Republic.

He added: “Imagine if every budget involved buying from small producers, supporting suppliers with concrete inclusion policies, and stimulating local and national production. Then we would have more businesses and more SMEs, and greater inclusion.”

“We have to ask ourselves: what are we doing with our budgets? Which part of the population are we benefiting with them?” he stated in his presentation.

Towards the end of the conference, Aliciardi He emphasized that “in the Dominican Republic, as in other Latin American countries such as Paraguay, Peru, Mexico and Argentina, progress is being made and our suppliers are becoming triple impact companies” and advocated that “this should not only happen with the State, but that the market should also be transformed so that we can strengthen this alliance.”

Some of the thematic axes of the forum were integration of economic, social and environmental criteria in public procurement, participation of SMEs in the public market, promotion of national production and local development, management of innovation in public procurement, implementation of value for money in public procurement processes and protection of human rights through public procurement. 

The full forum proceedings can be viewed at the following link:

1st Public Procurement Forum: Transforming public procurement into well-being for the people