In a ceremony in the government house, the sectors that will be a priority to receive private initiatives such as road, air and maritime transport were announced; water, health, education, energy, agriculture, housing, tourism, international trade, urban mobility, telecommunications, citizen security and national defense.
Santo Domingo, DR.- The President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, signed today the regulations that instruct the technical aspects that will be developed by the new Agency of Public-Private Partnerships (DGAPP), regarding the methodologies for projects evaluation, the specifications of conditions and contracts in a way that responds efficiently, proactively and in a timely manner to the needs of the official sectors and the business community.
The formal ceremony, chaired by the President of the Republic, was held in the Las Cariatides room of the National House and included the words of Dr. Sigmund Freund, executive director of the DGAPP and Pedro Brache, president of the National Council of the Private Company (CONEP). In addition, the participation of Lisandro Macarrulla, current Minister of the Presidency and president of the PPP Council, and the assistance of authorities and businessmen.
This regulation establishes an orderly scheme of the process of presentation of initiatives of Public-Private Partnerships, their evaluation, declaration of public interest and competitive process for their award.
President Abinader affirmed that “for the preparation of this document, a public consultation process was carried out, with the participation of representatives of the business community, the financial area, consulting firms and international organizations, and based on the suggestions and proposals received, important improvements to this document were submitted, which allowed it to be approved on August 25 by the National Council of Public-Private Partnerships and which we are enacting today”.
Likewise, the president assured that the “Public-Private Partnerships will be an essential instrument of the government to generate investments in areas that involve the creation of formal jobs and improve the quality of life of all Dominicans, with full conviction in the management and operation of these processes that require professionals with high technical capabilities that allow them to analyze, on equal terms with the private sector, the costs, benefits and risks of the projects to be developed, and with high ethical principles that allow an exercise of their functions based on the service of citizens”.
On his end, the executive director of DGAPP, Dr. Sigmund Freund, stated that “we will be in charge of promoting and regulating public-private partnerships in an orderly, efficient and transparent manner, ensuring the compliance with the rules and mitigating the risks of projects, by means of the supervision of the official agents of the business community that participate”.
He indicated that he will be in permanent communication with the private sector, and assured that all processes for the presentation, evaluation and selection of the successful bidder will be carried out through transparent processes and with equal opportunities, avoiding unnecessary obstacles and excessive bureaucracy that traditionally accompany the projects in which the government is involved, to ensure that the fiscal and environmental sustainability of the country is not compromised.
Additionally, the president of CONEP said that “we are convinced of the potential that public-private partnerships have to make processes more efficient, promote innovation and optimize the use of the resources of both available sectors, and the signing of this regulation and the approval of the law constitutes a reason to be optimistic, and invites us to unite wills”.
The National Council of Public-Private Partnerships prioritized the following sectors to receive private initiatives: Road, air and maritime transportation, water, health, education, energy, agriculture, housing, tourism, international trade, urban mobility, telecommunications, citizen security, national defense. The development of these sectors will contribute to increasing the quality of life of citizens while promoting economic development.
Once private initiatives are presented in these sectors, the Dominican government, through the Agency of Public-Private Partnerships, will develop a series of evaluations and adjustments to ensure that these projects effectively contribute to improving the provision of goods and services of social interest.
