SANTO DOMINGO – The way the Dominican State contracts its advertising has just changed. The new Public Procurement Law (47-25) and its implementing regulations establish that official advertising must be contracted directly with media outlets and communication platforms, expressly prohibiting the use of advertising agencies or other intermediaries.
The measure is part of an effort to streamline public spending and strengthen transparency mechanisms in state administration, in an area that has historically been under scrutiny for its budgetary impact and its influence on the media ecosystem.
Direct contracting as the rule
The provision is contained in Article 167 of the regulations, which states that direct contracting is only permitted when the purchase order or contract is signed with the media outlet that owns the broadcasting space. This includes print media, radio, television, websites, social media, and streaming platforms.
The regulations are emphatic on one point: commercial intermediation that increases or distorts service prices is prohibited . With this, the regulations aim to ensure greater efficiency in the use of public resources and reduce structures that could compromise the transparency of the process
More than a technical adjustment, the measure redefines the link between the State and the broadcasting channels, shifting the contractual relationship directly to those who own the advertising space.
Formal means and clear rules
The regulations also stipulate that the contracted media outlets must be legally constituted and registered with the competent authority, and that the contracts must align with the public advertising policies of the Executive Branch when dealing with institutions attached to this branch.
Another relevant element is that the direct contracting exception does not include the creation or production of advertising content, thus limiting the scope of the mechanism and avoiding discretionary interpretations in the execution of the expenditure.
In practice, this separates two processes: the purchase of advertising space and the creation of the message.
Transparency vs. corruption: the debate opened by direct contracting
The General Directorate of Public Procurement maintains that Law 47-25 will strengthen the system through a more robust sanctions regime and enhanced control mechanisms to prevent irregularities in the use of public resources. Along the same lines, President Luis Abinader has indicated that the new framework seeks to consolidate institutional capacity and guarantee fairer and more auditable management of government spending.
However, the debate extends beyond the local sphere. International economic literature warns that the financial relationship between the state and the media can create significant incentives. A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) found that a higher volume of government advertising in newspapers was associated with less coverage of corruption scandals, suggesting that advertising dependence can influence—directly or indirectly—news dynamics.
In this context, organizations such as the World Bank and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development have warned that public procurement is one of the areas most vulnerable to corruption if it lacks ongoing oversight. The discussion, therefore, is not limited to the procurement model itself, but also focuses on the strength of the controls: clear rules, objective allocation criteria, and effective auditing systems will be crucial for the new system to combine administrative efficiency with transparency.
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