The General Directorate of Public Procurement (DGCP) and the Centre for Technology and Industrial Information Management (CEGESTI) of Costa Rica have signed an agreement to combine efforts in the boosting and implementation of Public Procurement (SPP) in Panama. 

“Panama is committed to support the execution of Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP). We should be aware that in any country, the public sector is the biggest consumer, such that this becomes a call for our transformation into role models, and not only as a sole call for the good management of public funds, but also as a response to the variable decisions that occur in the market. This project will develop the politics of the acquisition of goods and services and engage environmentally responsible citizens.” emphasized the head of Public Procurement, Eldis Ivan Sanchez.

According to Sanchez, work is being done to establish a plan to carry out sustainable public procurement in Panama, such as validating the list of products and services that will lead to the drafting of recommendations for the implementation manual on the topic of public procurement of state public entities in Panama. The plan also includes the definition of general guidelines, purpose, lines of action and possible obstacles for the project, and the reach of the agreement with the organization.

The agreement also gave way to the introductory workshop on sustainable public procurement, to which legal advisers, procurement chiefs, administrative directors, project directors, finance directors, and other officials from state institutions. Such agencies include the Controller General of the Republic , Administrative tribunal for public procurement, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Development, The Ministry of Labour and Labour Development , the Secretariat of Energy, the authority on Small and Medium Enterprises, Ministry of Public works, and the National Environmental Authority.