Dominican Republic6 min readUpdated September 24, 2026

How to sell to the government in the Dominican Republic: a guide for suppliers

Who buys and where tenders are published

According to the General Directorate of Public Procurement (DGCP), a registered supplier in the Dominican Republic can bid to more than 738 government entities. The DGCP governs the system: it runs the supplier registry, publishes each year's value thresholds and operates the procurement platform.

Since 29 January 2026 the rules come from Law No. 47-25 on Public Procurement, enacted on 28 July 2025. It repealed Law 340-06, its amendment (Law 449-06) and the regulation approved by Decree 416-23. If you read older guides that cite Law 340-06, they no longer apply.

Everything runs through the Electronic Public Procurement System (SECP), which you reach from the DGCP website. The law makes it mandatory for every contracting institution (art. 182) and uses it to manage the State Supplier Registry, annual procurement plans, the virtual store and framework agreements (art. 181).

How to register: the State Supplier Registry (RPE)

To bid you must be registered in the RPE, which the DGCP runs (Law 47-25, art. 41). Registration is free. Online, through the SECP, it is available around the clock and takes 2 working days; in person, at the DGCP office in Santo Domingo (Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 16:00), it takes 4.

Online steps

1. Open the SECP from the DGCP website and click "Registro". Fill in the user form and confirm your access with the link sent to your email.
2. Log in, check your details, accept the terms of use and save.
3. On the welcome screen choose "Registrarse como un nuevo proveedor" (register as a new supplier). If your company already has an RPE, request access to the existing supplier instead.
4. Enter country of origin, person type, name, document type and number, then click "Validar". The system checks that you are not already registered and that you are up to date with the tax office (DGII) and the social security treasury (TSS).
5. Complete the form and attach the documents. Careful: once submitted it cannot be edited; if you make a mistake, you have to start a new registration.

Typical requirements

• Dominican individual: enrolment in the National Taxpayer Registry (RNC), being current with DGII and with TSS (TSS only if you have employees), the application form and a bank certificate.
• Dominican trading company: RNC, a current commercial registry certificate from the Chamber of Commerce and Production, and a copy of the latest shareholders' meeting with its attendance list, registered with the Chamber. If any shareholders are companies, add a beneficial ownership statement and the latest income tax return (IR-2).
• Bank certificate: signed and stamped by the bank, showing the full account number, type (savings or current), currency and holder. Payments go to this account, and it must be in the supplier's name.
• MSME or women-led MSME category: a current certificate from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs (MICM).
• Representative: if someone else files for you, they need a notarised power of attorney.

If your company is foreign

Foreign individuals and companies do not need to be in the RPE to take part: the SECP gives them a provisional registration so they can submit electronic bids. You only need the form, with bank details that match your bank's certificate, and a copy of your passport (individuals) or your home-country tax ID document (companies). Full registration is optional unless you win: then you must complete it before signing the contract, within 10 business days of being notified of the award. Documents in other languages must be translated, and foreign documents must carry a Hague apostille or be legalised by the Dominican consulate.

Procurement methods

Law 47-25 (art. 55) sets seven ordinary procedures: public tender, abbreviated public tender, reverse auction, works lottery (sorteo de obras), simplified procurement, minor procurement and threshold-based direct procurement. The choice depends on value (art. 57) or on the nature of the contract (art. 58). For example, reverse auctions are used for common, standardised goods whatever the value, and complex works always go to public tender.

Thresholds are recalculated every year by multiplying the central government's approved current revenue by factors set in the law (art. 59). For 2026 the DGCP set them in Resolution No. PNP-03-2026, in force from 1 April to 31 December 2026:

For institutions whose total annual budget does not reach double the calculated amount, the law halves the factors, so their thresholds are lower (art. 59, paragraph IV). Separately, there are exception procedures (art. 78), such as emergency purchases authorised by presidential decree or national security purchases.

The law also requires institutions to reserve at least 30% of their procurement budget for procedures open only to MSMEs: 20% for MSMEs in general and 10% for women-led MSMEs (art. 172).

How to find and follow tenders

• SECP public search: on the process search you can filter by keywords, buying institution, reference and category without logging in. Institutions' annual purchasing plans are in the same system.
• With your user account: you submit electronic bids and follow the processes you take part in.
• On Carbonode: the Dominican Republic page gathers processes from the DGCP's open data, with translated titles and a link to the original. Always confirm dates and tender documents in the SECP.

Practical tips

• Minimum bid periods (art. 101), in business days from the call: 30 for a public tender, 15 for an abbreviated tender, 5 for reverse auctions and works lotteries, 5 or 10 for simplified procurement depending on what is bought, and 3 for minor procurement. Threshold-based direct procurement has no minimum period.
• Clarifications: you can request them until half of the bid period has passed (art. 102). After that they are not accepted, so read the tender documents as soon as they are published.
• Tax compliance: the SECP checks your DGII and TSS status online. Clear any arrears before you register or bid.
• Qualification is separate: being in the RPE does not exempt you from each process's qualification requirements (art. 41, paragraph III). The law does say institutions should consult the RPE rather than ask again for current documents already on file.
• Thresholds by date: the 2026 table applies from 1 April. For processes launched before that date, check which threshold resolution was in force.
• Language: documents not in Spanish must be translated by the competent authority, either in your home country or in the Dominican Republic.

Official sources

• Law No. 47-25 on Public Procurement (DGCP) (Spanish)
• Presidency: Law 47-25 enters into force (Spanish)
• Registering in the State Supplier Registry (RPE) (Spanish)
• How to register in the RPE through the SECP (Spanish)
• DGCP: 2026 procurement thresholds (Spanish)
• Threshold resolutions (DGCP) (Spanish)
• SECP public process search

Questions