Dominican republic Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in dominican republic, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Selling to the Public Sector
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Selling to the Government

Public procurement in the Dominican Republic is governed by Law 340-06 (2006). This law limits participation in public tenders to Dominican companies except in rare instances.  U.S. companies are able to compete for tenders provided they have a local partner/subsidiary registered in the country. 

Potential opportunities can be found in the new public-private partnership tenders.  In 2020, the Dominican Republic passed a law establishing a modern public-private partnership process headed by a new agency, the Directorate General of Private-Public Acquisitions (DGAPP).  Private companies, including international firms, can submit unsolicited proposals for project that are approved by a council of agencies according to the national interest of the project.  DGAPP promotes approved projects worldwide and handles the process of technical sufficiency and obtaining the economic proposals of interested firms.  A council of agencies must make a unanimous decision in awarding the tender.  The DR awarded its first public-private partnership (PPP) tender in 2023 for a cruise ship terminal on the Samana Peninsula and has announced several forthcoming PPP tenders for 2024.

For more information about selling to the government and opportunities in procurement, contact Sheila Diaz de Andujar, Senior Commercial Specialist: sheila.diaz@trade.gov.

Financing of Projects

The United States Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank) is the official export credit agency of the United States. Ex-Im Bank’s mission is to help finance the export of U.S. goods and services to international markets.  The Ex-Im Bank is open in the Dominican Republic, financing U.S. exports for both the public and private sectors.

For more information, please refer to The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) portal under the Country Limitation Schedule.

The Development Finance Corporation (DFC, previously known as OPIC) facilitates financing and insurance for private sector projects generally and, under limited circumstances, public sector projects.  DFC windows are currently open for the Dominican Republic.

The U.S. Trade & Development Agency (TDA) promotes American private sector participation in developing and middle-income countries, with special emphasis on economic sectors that represent significant U.S. export potential.  This is done through the funding of feasibility studies, orientation visits, specialized training grants, business workshops, and various technical assistance forms.  TDA programs are available in the Dominican Republic.

The Inter-American Development Bank provides funding primarily to public sector entities for the design and execution of projects.  IDB projects provide U.S. suppliers of goods and services significant export opportunities, including the transportation, environmental, health, education, urban development, tourism, agriculture, and energy sectors.  Approved projects in the Dominican Republic can be found at the Inter-American Development Bank portal.

Multilateral Development Banks and Financing Government Sales. Price, payment terms, and financing can be a significant factor in winning a government contract. Many governments finance public works projects through borrowing from the Multilateral Development Banks (MDB). The Guide to Doing Business with Multilateral Development Banks overviews how to work with MDBs. The International Trade Administration (ITA) has a Foreign Commercial Service Officer stationed at each of the five different Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs): the African Development Bank; the Asian Development Bank; the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; the Inter-American Development Bank; and the World Bank.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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