From May 30-31, in coordination with the Dominican General Directorate for Public Contracting (DGCP), CLDP conducted a workshop on best practices in procurement for public health institutions in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. More than 50 representatives from 14 institutions attended the workshop, including contracting officers and high-ranking officials from the National Health Service, the Essential Medicines Program, the Ministry of Public Health, and two of the country’s largest public hospitals. The DGCP requested this assistance because these institutions struggle to procure high-quality pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and medical supplies using their current procurement processes. During an assessment of these processes in February, CLDP identified major deficiencies in the preparation of technical specifications and in the evaluation of offers, which enabled poor-quality and often counterfeit medical supplies to monopolize its tenders and excluded many U.S. and international manufacturers.

To address these deficiencies, CLDP enlisted an international health consultant and a procurement specialist at the Pan-American Health Organization to lead this week’s workshop. They provided best practices in implementing an effective acquisition life cycle, specifically focusing on drafting technical specifications and evaluation criteria to ensure that the procured goods and services meet the requisite quality standards of the health institutions. This workshop is part of CLDP’s two-year project to improve the transparency and efficiency of government procurement practices in the Dominican Republic.