The Dominican Republic government launched Eficompras on Tuesday, a digital store allowing state institutions to make minor public purchases through an online catalog.
The new platform is integrated into the Electronic Public Procurement System, known as SECP, and handles acquisitions of common-use goods worth less than 268,111.38 Dominican pesos.
Under the system, suppliers maintain their product offerings online permanently rather than waiting for formal tender competitions. Eficompras replaces the traditional publication model, in which public agencies posted individual procurement notices, with an open digital catalog where vendors upload inventory and government buyers add items to a virtual shopping cart before initiating formal contracts.
The transition will not eliminate ordinary procurement procedures, as the government plans to roll out Eficompras gradually across different administrative sectors. State institutions connected to the Integrated Financial Management System, or SIGEF, can begin using the tool immediately as part of an effort to modernise direct purchasing across public administration.
Public inauguration at National Palace
President Luis Abinader led the official inauguration ceremony in the Caryatids Hall at the National Palace in Santo Domingo. During the event, Abinader described the shopping platform as a structured mechanism designed to support micro, small, and medium enterprises, while applying legal principles that favour domestic production, local economic development, and social inclusion.
Abinader said one of the explicit strategic objectives of Eficompras is the regionalisation and diversification of state suppliers. He noted that public contract awards have historically suffered from heavy geographic concentration in Greater Santo Domingo, the capital region, and Santiago de los Caballeros, the second largest city in the Caribbean nation. The new system aims to direct public spending toward producers operating in the same geographic region where the purchasing institution is located.
The president also highlighted that Eficompras was built entirely by Innova Compras, recognised as the first public sector innovation laboratory in the Dominican Republic. The platform was created without reliance on external private vendors, developed instead by an internal team of mathematicians, economists, lawyers, and software engineers working directly for the General Directorate of Public Procurement, or DGCP.
Anonymised bidding to eliminate favouritism
Speaking at the ceremony, DGCP Director General Carlos Pimentel said the digital platform aims to deliver administrative speed alongside strict operational integrity and transparency. Pimentel noted that minor purchases account for 89 percent of all Dominican state procurement transactions.
To target favouritism and directed purchasing at their root, Pimentel explained that Eficompras incorporates a complete anonymisation mechanism. Bidding suppliers appear in the system under randomly assigned numbers, such as Supplier 1 or Supplier 2, keeping their identities hidden. The purchasing agency cannot see which company it is buying from until the final stage of the procedure, eliminating subjective buyer preferences and fostering genuine competition.
Pimentel added that the platform was specifically designed to prioritise micro, small, and medium enterprises, with particular emphasis on businesses led by women. By channeling minor purchases to smaller firms, the government intends to turn state purchasing power into an engine for economic inclusion and regional development across the country.
Mandatory compliance and implementation timeline
The implementation of the system is governed by Resolution PNP-07-2026, which makes the use of Eficompras mandatory for all state bodies and agencies subject to Law 47-25, the Dominican Republic's public procurement statute.
Public institutions will be given an adaptation and training period of 90 business days to transition to the online store. The DGCP will support this rollout by offering synchronous and asynchronous educational programs through its online Virtual Campus platform.
Suppliers already enrolled in the State Supplier Registry, known as the RPE, can access Eficompras directly using their existing system credentials. According to a statement from the Dominican government, the launch reaffirms its commitment to building a more agile and transparent administration while laying the groundwork for the future implementation of framework agreements established under current procurement law.
