A government guideline will give priority to small and medium enterprises in purchases made by the Public Administration.
The initiative -one of the commitments of the Caribbean Board for employability and economic recovery- seeks to generate sources of employment in regions with lower socio-economic development and in social groups in vulnerable conditions.
The guideline was signed on Saturday night by the Ministers of Economy, Victoria Hernández, and the Treasury, Rocío Aguilar, and the Ministers of Labor, Environment and Science and Technology, Steven Núñez, Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, and Luis Adrián Salazar, respectively, in the session of the Governing Council, in Limón.
The second vice president of the Republic, Marvin Rodríguez, coordinator of the Caribbean Bureau, explained that priority will be given to SMEs in their purchasing processes in the Central Government, taking into account sustainability criteria, companies located in areas of lower socioeconomic development, and the generation of employment in social groups in vulnerable conditions.
As part of the actions proposed by the guideline, it is established that the payment to SMEs is made within a period that may not be longer than 30 calendar days, from the presentation of the respective electronic invoice.
In addition, the institutions and ministries of Finance, Environment and Energy and Labor -with the support of the National Institute of Learning (INA) and Costa Rican Radiographic (Racsa)- will develop and implement a training program for SMEs and organizations of the social economy, in terms of administrative contracting and use of the Integrated Public Procurement System (SICOP).
The purchasing power that the State has exceeds 15% of the Gross Domestic Product, which makes it a very important engine for economic recovery. With this guideline, policies and actions will be generated so that public institutions expand the opportunities for small and medium enterprises to provide goods and services to the State,”
said Hernández.
The provinces where the companies that least sell to the State are located are Guanacaste, with 0.72%, Puntarenas, with 1.20%, and Limón, with 1.36%.
The highest concentration of companies that sell to the Public Administration is located in San José, with 60.63%, in 2016.