The governing body of the system is the General Directorate of Public Procurement (DGCP), with strengthened powers of supervision, control and sanction, including the authority to suspend irregular processes and to disqualify suppliers.

The entities subject to the procurement regime include the central government; decentralized and autonomous institutions, financial and non-financial; public social security institutions; the National District and municipal councils; State-owned companies; and, in general, any entity contracting for goods, services or works with public funds. Public-private partnerships and concessions are expressly excluded and governed by the Public-Private Partnerships Law 47-20 of February 20, 2020.

Law 47-25 expands the guiding principles of public contracting from nine to twenty-one, adding — to the classic principles of efficiency, equality and free competition, transparency and publicity, economy and flexibility, equity, responsibility, morality and good faith, reciprocity, participation and reasonability — new principles such as favorability of national production and local development, planning, objectivity, sustainability, simplification of the administrative burden and due administrative process.

Foreign bidders should confirm which regime governs each opportunity — tenders launched before January 24, 2026 remain under Law 340-06 rules — before assessing requirements, remedies and deadlines.

II. Scope of Application

The procurement regime applies to the purchase and contracting of goods, services and consulting, leases and lease-purchases, and the contracting of public works, unless excluded or subject to special legislation.

It applies to any natural or legal person, national or foreign, that offers goods, services or works to government entities, including two or more persons submitting an offer jointly as a consortium under a legal instrument stating that they act in that capacity.

III. The Registry of Government Suppliers (RPE)

Before providing goods, services or works to the Dominican State, suppliers must be registered in the Registry of State Suppliers (RPE), administered by the DGCP through the transactional portal. The specific registration requirements are set by the applicable regulations.

As general capacity requirements, the natural or legal person contracting with the State should demonstrate that it:

• Has the professional and technical qualifications, financial resources, equipment and other physical means, with the experience and personnel appropriate for the performance of the contract.
• Has a corporate purpose compatible with the object of the contract.
• Is solvent and not subject to insolvency proceedings.
• Is current with its tax and social security obligations.

Contracting entities may not impose criteria, requirements or procedures for evaluating the suitability and capacity of bidders beyond those described in the terms of reference for the tender, and may not disqualify a bidder for incomplete information that can be remedied.

IV. Public Procurement Procedures

Selection procedures are determined by thresholds and by the nature of the purchase. The core procedures carried over and modernized from the prior regime are:

• Public tender (licitación pública): the open, public call in which any interested person may submit a proposal, with the most suitable proposal selected in accordance with the terms of reference.
• Restricted tender: an invitation-based tender limited to suppliers specialized in the goods, works or services required.
• Works lottery (sorteo de obras): the random selection among qualified participants for infrastructure works of pre-determined design and cost.
• Price comparison: an open call to persons registered in the RPE, applicable to standard-specification goods, services and minor works.
• Reverse auction: the electronic purchase of standard-specification commodity goods, awarded to the lowest-price compliant offer.

All procurement must be conducted through the transactional portal in a context of transparency, based on public disclosure of the entities’ actions. Law 47-25 also strengthens tools for strategic procurement, MSME participation and sustainability criteria, to be developed by its regulations.

Registration in the RPE and familiarity with the transactional portal are practical preconditions to bidding; foreign companies without a local presence should plan the registration and documentation track well before a tender closes.

V. Claims, Challenges and Controversies

Disputes arising in procurement proceedings may first be resolved administratively before the contracting entity, which must decide within the statutory term by reasoned resolution. That decision may be challenged before the DGCP as governing body of the system.

If the controversy persists, the case may be brought before the Superior Administrative Court (TSA) or, where the parties so agree, submitted to arbitration (see Administrative Law and Dispute Resolution).

Challenge deadlines in procurement are short and strictly enforced; bidders should calendar them from the notification of each act of the process, not from the award alone.

This publication is provided for informational purposes only and not as legal advice. Any transaction related to any of the described aspects shall require advice and be specifically consulted with the Firm in advance. © Arthur & Castillo. All Rights Reserved. Next