The General Directorate of Public Procurement granted the state operator a period of ten business days to justify the legality of the process awarded to CK Trans-Motors, SRL
SANTO DOMINGO. — The Ministry of Finance and Economy, through the General Directorate of Public Procurement (DGCP), initiated an investigation on its own initiative into the tender called by the Metropolitan Bus Services Operator (OMSA) for the acquisition of urban buses, after preliminarily identifying several substantial weaknesses and possible irregularities in the procedure.
The decision is contained in an official communication dated October 21, 2026, identified as DGCP44-2026-004370 and addressed to the General Administrator of OMSA, Onéximo Antonio González. The document bears the digital signature of the Director General of Public Procurement, Carlos Pimentel Florenzán.
The file under review corresponds to the procedure OMSA SA-CCC-LPN-2026-0005, whose award fell to the company CK Trans-Motors, SRL, through a deed issued on October 16 of this year.
DGCP identifies four points that require review
In the document, the entity explains that it initiated the investigation by virtue of the powers conferred upon it as the governing body of the National Public Procurement System. The purpose is to verify that the actions taken during the bidding process comply with the current legal framework.
In that regard, one of the aspects mentioned is related to the terms and conditions established for the Tax on Transfers of Industrialized Goods and Services (ITBIS), applicable to the importation of the goods contemplated in the specifications.
Similarly, the agency identified a suspected irregularity in the evaluation of the economic proposals submitted by the bidders. This is compounded by potential deficiencies in the preliminary studies that served as the basis for the contract, as well as the failure to publish documents from the administrative file on the Electronic Public Procurement System (SECP).
However, the DGCP clarified that these allegations are preliminary. Therefore, they must be examined during the investigative process before determining whether there were any violations of the regulations governing government procurement.
OMSA has ten business days to present its arguments
As part of the proceedings, Public Procurement required the state operator to submit a report justifying the legality of the actions carried out in each phase of the procedure.
To comply with this requirement, the institution granted a maximum period of ten business days, counted from the day after notification of the communication.
Likewise, the review will take into account the provisions of Law No. 47-25 on Public Procurement, its Implementing Regulation, approved by Decree No. 52-26, and the policies issued by the governing body.
In addition to verifying the initial findings, the investigation will determine the scope of the situations identified and examine other elements that may arise during the evaluation of the file.
They request that the registration of the contract and the payments be blocked
While the investigations are progressing, the DGCP requested the Comptroller General of the Republic to refrain from registering the contract resulting from the bidding process and from authorizing disbursements in favor of the company that benefited from the award.
Consequently, the precautionary measure prevents the parties from signing or executing the contractual agreement until the review is concluded and the corresponding decisions are adopted.
Furthermore, the communication warns that if OMSA lets the deadline expire without submitting its defense document, Public Procurement may issue an administrative act based on the preliminary elements collected up to that point.
Finally, the procedure must determine whether the bidding process was conducted in accordance with applicable regulations and whether the identified issues warrant the adoption of administrative measures. Until definitive conclusions are issued, the findings remain preliminary.
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