In the framework of the International Business Round "Central America 2016", which was held on November 3rd and 4th, the area of Cooperation and International Relations of ProCórdoba Agency organized the "Workshops on Public Procurement - Central America 2016."

Lourdes Fú Flores, Coordinator of the Strategic and Procurement Programs of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), participated as a speaker at the workshops, where she presented the characteristics of the procurement processes of the organization she represents to the companies.

The International Public Procurement (CPI) involves the procurement processes executed by the public authorities of a country and the international organizations to award work contracts, supplies and services. This method means an important export channel for the companies. This is the reason why ProCórdoba Agency develops training and counselling services to companies.

Below, there is an interview where Fú Flores tells us about her impression and suggestions regarding the International Tendering Services provided by the area of Cooperation and International Relations of our Agency. 

To know her impression and suggestions as regards the service provided by the area, the work team had a dialogue with the representative of CABEI:

- How would you describe the institution you represent?

- CABEI is an international credit agency that channels resources of foreign aid workers. It began having Central America as a scope of action and it has been recently developing in Latin America, including Argentina.

- What is your opinion about the role of ProCórdoba Agency in the interaction between public and private sectors?

- In my opinion, ProCórdoba has a strategic role because it promotes the participation of companies in processes that normally are not taken into account because of ignorance. This would be good in other countries.

- What do you think about the Workshops on Public Procurement of Central America in which you’ve participated as a speaker?

- These Workshops on Public Procurement are innovative. Thanks to this initiative, we are going to be able to help and guide companies to participate in tenders. Generally, what we do is to strengthen the capabilities of the executing agencies, which are the ones that call for tenders. In this opportunity, we are on the opposite site, which is also very important. Companies must know what to present and how to do it; for this reason, we are here and entirely at your service.

- What do companies from Córdoba have to take into account to participate in the public procurement processes of CABEI?

- They must read the bidding documents that are required very carefully in order to have them prepared before the edition of the bidding process. They must study what is required.

- CABEI requires the processes to be published correctly through newspapers. Which ones?

- The country where the project is executed must publish the notice in the newspaper 4 times. It must be done in the two leading national newspapers of the country and during the two days of greater circulation. The executing agency decides where and when to do it. Moreover, the call for tender is going to be published electronically in the web page of CABEI.

- When a document indicates that a visit is compulsory, is a company that does not attend the meeting excluded from participating in tender?

- When a Type Approval meeting is required in a document, it is compulsory since the attendants are given a certification of attendance that is a requisite to be presented in an envelope with the capabilities of the company. Representatives of the company that are in the country or within the region can attend this meeting. It is not necessary that a company from Córdoba incurs such expense of transferring somebody from Argentina to Central America.

- What kind of guarantees does CABEI require?

- The tenders of the government tend to ask for a tender security; however, for CABEI it is not compulsory. It will be necessary if the sum and the complexity of the process are high. The reason is that the institutional tenders are not open. They are conducted in accordance with the supplier portal of the Bank. This indicates the interest on the part of the companies in providing a good or service.

The performance bond is generally asked, mainly in work tenders and not in the consulting tenders. In case of being managed by the government, tenders are compulsory. In such a case, when a process includes an advance payment, a payment bond is compulsory.

Lastly, the guarantees used by the market for each good or service must be taken into account. Tenders may use a similar criterion. In the processes of CABEI, you can make use of bank guarantees, i.e. with representation of a local bank or via swift; this is through insurance companies. The Bank does not have a list of insurance companies with which it works.

- What prospective lines of actions do you see? What actions can be coordinated between your institution and ProCórdoba Agency?

- Monitoring companies is necessary, encouraging them to register in the institutions that call for tenders, consulting them about whether they found relevant opportunities, being at their disposal […] making a consultation if needed […]

ProCórdoba and the CABEI can work together towards the decision-making of several Central American executing agencies, via face-to-face or through videoconference in order to allow a group of businessmen from Córdoba to present the products of the export offer. The headquarters of CABEI is at your service to perform this task.

Have access to more information about our Assistance and Training Service on International Tenders by clicking here