Government’s anticorruption efforts around half way there, IDB says

SANTO DOMINGO.- Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB) representative in Dominican Republic Monday affirmed from 57 to 60% of the 90 high-priority actions established in the Anticorruption Participative Initiative (IPAC) have been reached, aimed at making public purchases and contracts more transparent.

Manuel Labrado said those actions will have to have 100 percent compliance by December 31 and that the government’s transparency in public purchases and contracts have markedly improved.

He said improving Web purchases and contracts is in a process in such a manner that the objective is that all purchases go through the Web “but I believe it’s a great advance the fact that right now that Website already exists, with all multilateral agencies and that somehow there’s a commitment that before December 31 is totally concluded.”

The IDB representative held a press conference with Public Contracting Office director Eric Hazim, who announced that the country will host the 6th Annual Conference of the Americas on Governmental Purchases from October 18 to 20 in the Foreign Relations Ministry, where around 30 representatives from the nation members of the Inter-American Government Purchases Network will part take