Mexico: COFECE issues recommendations to INFONAVIT to improve public tenders

Mexico’s Federal Commission of Economic Competition (COFECE) has issued a series of advice and recommendation documents to the National Workers Housing Fund Institute (INFONAVIT) to help improve their bidding and contracting processes for public works, as they hope to meet austerity and efficiency goals.

The COFECE, which a few days before was recognized by the World Bank for its promotion of the FinTech market in Mexico, found that only 13% of INFONAVIT’s spending on acquisitions had been carried out with an open tender. To remedy this, COFECE has proposed reducing the exceptions available for public bidding, establishing maximum and minimum amounts, as well as eliminating the scheme for automatic renewal of contracts.

The Commission also proposed replacing the controversial figure of Special Procedures for the contracting of specialized services, since it considered that “the discretionality granted by the current regulations” generates higher costs.